sarma

This is the last piece of critique on the performances of the 8th Bienalle of Dance, Lyon, which include works by the Belgian choreographer Frederic Flamand, EJM 1 and EJM 2 named after the initials of the two pioneers of photography, Muybridge and Marey. The first part was performed by Flamand’s group Charleroi Danses-Plan K and the second by the dancers of the Lyon Opera. On the one hand, we are shown the first experiences and the accurate registration of movement by Muybridge and Marey through the photographic lenses, and on the other Flamand’s effort to connect the certainties of modernism with the contemporary worry about the power and imposition of the false flat surface of a photograph and the image. The Belgian choreographer, was also preoccupied with the implications of falsification by anyone with the means to deceive and create rumour and spin.

The beginning was impressive thanks to the stage designs by Ricardo Scodifio and Elizabeth Diller.The dancers moved in front of their magnified images mirroring their movements at a back screen; sometimes the representation of the projected image stopped for seconds whilst the dancer continued to move about. Particularly the first scene worked, depicting a dancer moving and another taking photographs which he then proceeded to project enhanced, in attempt to record the reality of the movement, an attempt which, however ended up unsuccessfully (or perhaps very successfully), as the lenses recorded something different each time: a part of the foot, the opening of the legs in grand jeté, the abdomen, the hands and so on.

Flamand’s main targets were the relativity of what we traditionally accept as real, the doubt of what that product is and the reduction of it in the realm of “objectivity” nd “certainty”; as well as its categorization as a subjective experience and conscious or unconscious choice which makes the photographer to look at one thing at a time.

This preoccupation soon became clear to the audience and the topic ended its cycle within the first quarter of an hour. Then, the choreography became pedantic and verbose, repetitious and boring, especially the naïve with which it stereotyped the roles of the sexes as is seen in the works of Muybridge. There is nothing more annoying than someone who pretends to be deeply touched by the inequalities in the roles of men and women and tries to convince that he has known it from his own experience. Especially if one tries to appear convincing by evoking scenes in which both the male and female sex are seen ironing! (Total lack of sophistication was apparent in that scene). The metafeminist thought would have had a few well chosen comments for such attempts at “innovations”.

The second part (Marey) focused on the idea of racial purity, the image of the healthy body, a contemporary hot topic (in the Zeitgeist) of early 20th century which pervaded in its many guises, dance, Arian theories etc. Its transcription to modern society was associated with the “pure” consuming bodies which execute blindly all instructions belted out by a seductive system which is capable in convincing those who obey of the correctness of its orders. In this part, again, the imaginary ability of the image to persuade, remained one of the dimensions of the piece. In this work, Flamand showed people accepting of those “anthropometric” rules, but also the total control of all aspects of their lives(production of muscular work, work according to pre-existing conditions). Unfortunately, despite its interesting theme and less portentous choreography, the second part of the evening was equally longwinded and with the first.