The Spectator's Moment or how to discover an artist, a piece of work or a company in just two minutes. It is a collection of programmes produced by the Maison de la Danse in Lyon and presented by Dominique Hervieu. Each episode is devoted to an artist or a company that is programmed at the Maison de la Danse and offers the public keys or artistic benchmarks for better understanding and appreciating the choreographic art.
 



© Maison de la Danse de Lyon

Kyle Abraham, (born August 14, 1977, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.), American contemporary dancer and choreographer who founded (2006) the company Kyle Abraham/Abraham.In.Motion (A/I/M). He was a master at mixing hip-hop, street, and modern dance styles.

Abraham grew up in a middle-class African American neighbourhood in Pittsburgh. He began dancing when he was cast in a high-school musical. Having discovered his vocation late in life—for a dancer—Abraham decided to become a choreographer rather than a performer, although he was to excel at both professions. After earning a B.F.A. (2000) at State University of New York Purchase College, he performed briefly with the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company. He soon resumed his studies at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts (TSA). In 2006 he received an M.F.A. and choreographed a riveting solo, "Inventing Pookie Jenkins". In that piece Abraham’s movements, alternately fierce and flowing, and ankle-length white skirt upended stereotypes about masculinity. In 2007 choreographer David Dorfman, a summer instructor at TSA, invited Abraham to join the David Dorfman Dance troupe.

During this time, Abraham established (2006) A/I/M, for which he choreographed many acclaimed dances. The works offered ruminations on identity, history, and community. In "The Radio Show" (2010), Abraham wove together steps inspired by both his memories of a defunct Pittsburgh radio station and his emotions connected to an illness of his father’s. For his 2012 ensemble work Pavement, Abraham revisited urban life in 1990s Pittsburgh while also drawing inspiration from John Singleton’s 1991 film "Boyz n the Hood" and W.E.B. Du Bois’s 1903 text "The Souls of Black Folk". The action for Pavement takes place on an onstage basketball court and addresses the impact of domestic, police, and gang violence on black communities. The dancemaker next created "When the Wolves Came In" (2014), a meditation on civil rights with designs by Glenn Ligon and music by Robert Glasper.

In addition, Abraham choreographed for other companies. His repertoire for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT) and Ailey II (AAADT’s junior company) included "The Corner" (2010), "Another Night" (2012), and the last two movements of his trilogy "Untitled America" (2016). He also branched out by creating a duet for himself and New York City Ballet principal dancer Wendy Whelan. The two premiered "The Serpent and the Smoke" at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival in 2013. The following year Rag & Bone fashion designers Marcus Wainwright and David Neville launched their fall-winter 2014 collection with a video choreographed by Abraham; it featured him and Indigo Ciochetti performing in black knitwear.

Source: Encyclopedia Britannica

More information

abrahaminmotion.org

Born in 1977, Fabien Plasson is a video director specialized in the field of performing arts (dance , music, etc).

During his studies at the Ecole Nationale des Beaux-Arts de Lyon (joined in 1995) Fabien discovered video art. He was trained by various video artists (Joel Bartoloméo Pascal Nottoli , Eric Duyckaerts , etc) .
He first experimented with the creation of installations and cinematic objects.

From 2001 to 2011, he was in charge of Ginger & Fred video Bar’s programming at La Maison de la Danse in Lyon. He discovered the choreographic field and the importance of this medium in the dissemination, mediation and pedagogical approach to dance alongside Charles Picq, who was a brilliant video director and the director of the video department at that time.

Today, Fabien Plasson is the video director at La Maison de la Danse and in charge of the video section of Numeridanse.tv, an online international  video library, and continues his creative activities, making videos of concerts, performances and also creating video sets for live performances.

Sources: Maison de la Danse ; Fabien Plasson website

More information: fabione.fr

Artistic direction: Abraham Kyle

Creation: 2006

The mission of Kyle Abraham/Abraham.In.Motion is to create an evocative interdisciplinary body of work. Born into hip-hop culture in the late 1970s and grounded in Abraham’s artistic upbringing in classical cello, piano, and the visual arts, the goal of the movement is to delve into identity in relation to a personal history. The work entwines a sensual and provocative vocabulary with a strong emphasis on sound, human behavior and all things visual in an effort to create an avenue for personal investigation and exposing that on stage. A.I.M. is a representation of dancers from various disciplines and diverse personal backgrounds. Combined together, these individualities create movement that is manipulated and molded into something fresh and unique.

Source: Abraham.In.Motion 's website

More information : abrahaminmotion.org