rehearsal of the theatre performance. Photo: Paul Poncet.
The Compagnie François Verret is to premiere Central Europe, a choreography by François Verret, during CROSSROADS 2014 ? the 21st International Meeting of Live Arts in Warsaw, on Wednesday and Thursday, 5 and 6 November, at 7 pm, at the Centre for Contemporary Art ? Ujazdowski Castle (Laboratorium, Sala im. Wojciecha Krukowskiego, ul. Jazdów 2). The piece opens a series of performances under the name of Rhapsodie démente. The work brings together dance, music, and installation art, and features artists from Western and Eastern Europe. It is a collage of images that communicate the condition of a human being dominated by the history of Eastern Europe. It also draws from works by Heiner Müller, Svetlana Alexievich, and Wisława Szymborska.
A meeting with the artists is planned after the first show.
A day before the first performance, on Friday, 4 November (6 pm) choreographer and director François Verret will give a talk about his work (illustrated with recordings of his performances) at the Centre for Contemporary Art ? Ujazdowski Castle (KinoLab).
Performers: Germana Civera, Jean-Pierre Drouet, Charline Grand, Natacha Kouznetsova, Vilma Pitripaite, François Verret
Technical and video manager: Claire Roygnan
Lighting: Nicolas Barreaud
Sound: Manu Léonard
François Verret is one of the most creative French choreographers. His works fuse dance, theatre, and performance art. Verret has been active as a dance artist since 1975, when he began his work with Karine Saporta’s company. He then continued his dance education with Susan Buirge and J. Patarozzi. He performed for a year with H. Yano and E. Wolliaston, before setting up his own company in 1979. His debut work Tabula rasa won the first prize at the Concours chorégraphique international de Bagnolet in 1980. In 1993?2000 he led Les Laboratories d?Aubervilliers, a place for interactive explorations, development and presentation of works. In 1998 Verret founded La Compagnie FV, which performs internationally, and has been invited to present their work at the Avignon festival on numerous occasions. He was involved in the Groupe de Recherche Chorégraphique de l?Opéra de Paris. In 2002 he was artist-in-residence at the Théâtre National de Bretagne in Rennes.
François Verret has created 20 choreographies. He is one of the founders of the new wave in French dance, and is considered a precursor of interdisciplinary performances. His artistic explorations focus on movement and dance, and their relations with objects and space. Verret is an architect by profession. In his works he uses mobile objects and machines. He remains faithful to the concept of “choreographing the real” (choreographier le réal). He also draws inspiration from literature (Goethe, Kafka, Melville, Musil, Faulkner, and others). His works explore ethical questions, and often express social criticism. Verret collaborates with representatives of different art forms: dancers (Mathilde Monnier, Bernardo Montet), musicians (Fred Frith), actors, circus artists, and visual artists. Among his most distinguished works are: Fin de Parcours (1982), La Chute de la Maison carton (1986), Faustus (1990), Chantier Musil (2003). In 2002 he received the choreographic award of the Société des Auteurs et Compositeurs Dramatiques (SACD, Society of Dramatic Authors and Composers). This year Verret began the development of an art and education project called Chantier 2014?2018, to embrace, among other efforts, such performances as Chantier 2013, Atlas 2014, and Rhapsodie démente (2015).The project touches upon collective awareness and memory, and the possibility of passing down experiences from one generation to another. Verret’s work has never been shown in Poland before.
The performance is produced by MC2 Grenoble.
CROSROADS 2014 organised by the Art and Its Time Foundation in cooperation with the Centre for Contemporary Art ? Ujazdowski Castle. Supported by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of Poland, the City of Warsaw, and the French Institute in Warsaw.
