Zoulous, pingouins et autres indiens
1993 - Director : Butaye, Danny
Choreographer(s) : Bagouet, Dominique (France)
Present in collection(s): Montpellier Danse , Collection Bagouet
Video producer : Agat films;Cie Alain Guesnier;Les Carnets Bagouet;Paris Première
Zoulous, pingouins et autres indiens
1993 - Director : Butaye, Danny
Choreographer(s) : Bagouet, Dominique (France)
Present in collection(s): Montpellier Danse , Collection Bagouet
Video producer : Agat films;Cie Alain Guesnier;Les Carnets Bagouet;Paris Première
Zoulous, pingouins et autres indiens
Bagouet, Dominique
Angoulême, July 9 1951 - Montpellier, December 9 1992
From 1965, Dominique Bagouet received a classical instruction from Rosella Hightower in Cannes, and was firstly engaged in the Ballet du Grand Théâtre of Geneva at Alfonso Cata's in 1969. He danced the following year with the Félix Blaska's company and joined Béjart's 20th Century Ballet in Brussels. The experience lasted two years and continued with the Chandra group (where Maguy Marin also worked).
Back to Paris in 1974, Dominique Bagouet took tuitions with Carolyn Carlson and Peter Goss. He also danced in the Joseph Russillo's, Anne Béranger's and Peter Goss' companies. Then he left for the United States where he discovered with Jennifer Muller, Lar Lubovitch and others, the techniques of the American schools.
Back to France in 1976, he presented his first choreography “Chansons de nuit” at the Concours de Bagnolet and won the first prize with a mention for research. He then founded his first company. He created play after play, at a fast pace he deplored, in order to make his company survive. Until 1979, he created 14 plays, sometimes hastily and unsatisfactorily.
With “Sous la blafarde”, the young choreographer began to stand out and Montpellier became his haven: the town welcomed the company and gave it the resources to exist as Bagouet was asked to set up and run the Centre Chorégraphique Régional de Montpellier. Besides, he was to create in this town the Festival International Montpellier Danse that he would run until 1982.
Dominique Bagouet created then some of the most outstanding plays in French contemporary choreography, from “Insaisies” (1982) to “Necesito, pièce pour grenade” (1991), the last commission written to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Spanish town.
With plays such as “Déserts d'amour” (1984), “Le Crawl de Lucien” (1985) and “Assaï” (1986), Dominique Bagouet clearly established his own personality and style. All these plays registered his very particular style, sometimes referred to as ‘neobaroque', but above all very subtle and inventive. Bagouet's choreographic approach developed the dance movement with numerous short gestures (movements with hands and feet, special incline of the chest…) with terrific precision and no mannerisms.
Moreover, and this is another characteristic of Bagouet, the choreographer always managed to work with talented artists, such as Christian Boltanski, Pascal Dusapin for “Le Saut de l'ange” (1987), Tristan Murail for “Déserts d'amour” or the actress Nelly Borgeaud for the superb “Meublé sommairement” (1989) choreographically adapted from a novel by Emmanuel Bove.
He also directed two films with Charles Picq: “Tant mieux, tant mieux!” (1983) and “Dix anges, portraits”(1988), from “Le Saut de l'ange".
If a Bagouet style existed, it would also lie in this curiosity which influenced a whole generation.
His company's dancers founded in 1993 Les Carnets Bagouet, an association dedicated to preserving and passing on the choreographer's artistic heritage. They offer the repertoire to other companies and schools.
Source: Extract of “99 biographies pour comprendre la jeune danse française” in les saisons de la danse, summer 97, special issue.
More information: www.lescarnetsbagouet.org
Butaye, Danny
Compagnie Bagouet
Compagnie Bagouet
Dominique Bagouet created The Company Dominique Bagouet in 1977, with some dancers (also his friends). He obtained the first prize of the choreographic Competition of Bagnolet thanks to his first choreography “Chansons de nuit”. As the company did not have a real workplace in Paris, the first seasons were difficult, nevertheless the company gets some commands of short pieces. The Company settled down in Montpellier in 1979, after the invitation of Georges Frêche, mayor of the city at the time. In 1980, the company became the regional Dance Centre.
In1984, Dominique Bagouet created “Déserts d'amour”, the piece which made the company internationally known. The work of creation constantly developed and numerous works were presented every year at the Festival International Montpellier Danse.
Dominique Bagouet often left his team of the Centre chorégraphique (which had become a national centre in 1984) to the hands of guest choreographers such as Susan Buirge, Trisha Brown, but also to his own dancers, who made their debuts as choreographers: Michel Kelemenis, Bernard Glandier, Olivia Grandville, Hélène Cathala and Fabrice Ramalingom.
In 1990, after ten years of presence in Montpellier, during which the company met with success, Dominique Bagouet asked for a better working tool and considered the development of the Convent of Ursulines to develop several axes: creation, repertoire, pedagogy and residences of invited artists. Unfortunately, the disease took him and his project was only completed after his death in 1992.
Sources : www.lescarnetsbagouet.org
Last update : December 2013
Zoulous, pingouins et autres indiens
Choreography : Dominique Bagouet (extrait du prologue d' " Assaï " et de la 2ème nonette des " Petites pièces de Berlin ") - Chorégraphie de la Parade : Catherine Legrand
Choreography assistance : Anne Abeille
Interpretation : Dimitri Chamblas, Claire Chancé, Montaine Chevalier, Agnès Coutard, Priscilla Danton, Matthieu Doze, Sylvie Giron, Bernard Glandier, Olivia Grandville, Nicolas Héritier, Dominique Jégou, Michel Kelemenis, Anne Laurent, Myriam Lebreton, Catherine Legrand, Sylvain Prunenec, Annabelle Pulcini, Fabrice Ramalingom, Maxime Rigobert, Odile Seitz, Juan Manuel Vicente - Comédienne Nelly Borgeaud
Live music : Raymond Boni, Sven Lava Pohlhammer, Geneviève Sorin
Video conception : Un film écrit par Charles Picq - Réalisation : Danny Butaye
Lights : Laurent Matignon
Costumes : Habilleuse : Elisabeth Twardowski
Technical direction : Régie générale : Gilbert Luminet - Régie son : Philippe Delcroix, Michel Rousseau
Other collaborations : Remerciements : Centre national de la danse pour le traitement des images
Production / Coproduction of the video work : Production : Agat films et Cie-Alain Guesnier / Les Carnets Bagouet / Paris Première avec le concours de la Direction de la musique et de la danse / Ministère de la culture et de la francophonie / CNC / Maison de la danse Lyon / Ateliers Sud Vidéo Montpellier et la participation de Audiovisuelle dienst K.U.Leuven