PVA Magazine n°6 (juillet-octobre 2021)

You say one of your commit- ments at Chaillot is to diversity. What does that mean to you? The diversity of aesthetics, of gen- res, cultures, social milieus, types of spectacles. Cultivating plurality is a way of fighting the forms of isolation that prevent us from fully express- ing our complexity and multiplicity. The living art world has a responsi- bility to make itself accessible to as many people as possible, and not to address itself solely to insiders. How can Chaillot interact with the urban street dancers on the Trocadéro square? How can The Chaillot stage has already fea- tured urban dance. We must con- tinue to forge ties with the forms of expression practiced around the theatre. I am thinking of the skate- boarders in the square and of the Danish artistMette Ingvartsen, who is creating a piece about this world. I will be attentive to the initiatives bringing these disparate circles together. I will also try to regener- ate the expression of dance by call- ing on unexpected new talents. We must reach out to audiences where they are and bring dance to where it is not expected. show for 2022. Will this be the kind of “documentary dance” that characterises your work? Didier Deschamps invited me back to Chaillot even before we knew I was going to take charge. I will present Corps Extremes (‘Extreme bodies’), with acrobats and ‘extreme’ artists in June 2022. This showplays on the contrast between these bod- ies’ virtuosity and their frailty. It’s about accepting who we are, our flaws, and that we can do things we thought were impossible. This is the common thread running through many of my pieces. What we tend to think of as ‘weaknesses’ becomes relative. this sanctuary open to the public in the streets? Your predecessor Didier Deschamps scheduled your

Et au théâtre de Chaillot

What Parisian setting would suit your performances? At present I would say the Paris sky and the tops of its buildings in all their architectural diversity. I am currently working with “aerial” art- ists- acrobats, climbers, a tightrope walker- at soaring heights. Every- one participating brings a perspec- tive on the experience of emptiness to make people rediscover the land- scapes that surround us.

lui-même? Le Théâtre national de la danse sera également le décor de nom- breuses propositions artistiques, pour moi et pour des artistes qui seront invités à s’approprier ce magni que espace, son architec- ture dans son ensemble. En effet, l’idée n’est pas de proposer des œuvres uniquement dans les salles mais d’utiliser tout le bâtiment comme territoire d’expression, en développant des productions in situ qui le feront redécouvrir à chaque fois sous un nouvel angle. Je compte y faire ce qui m’a tou- jours semblé important dans le monde de l’art: réunir des sensi- bilités, des savoirs, des popula- tions qui n’ont pas l’habitude de se rencontrer. J’aimerais que tous les publics, dans leur éclectisme, se disent « Allons passer une journée, un week-end, au théâtre », et pas seulement « Allons voir un spectacle ce soir ». L’idée qui m’est chère est que les spectateurs puissent pro- ter de toute la colline de Chail- lot, qui comprend de nombreux musées (Guimet, Palais de Tokyo, Musée d’art moderne de la ville de Paris, etc.) ainsi que des théâtres (Chaillot mais également celui des Champs-Élysées). Vous placez votre direction de Chaillot sous le signe des diversités. Qu’est-ce que cela signi e? Diversité des esthétiques, des genres, culturelle, sociale, diver- sité aussi des représentations. Cultiver la pluralité est une façon de lutter contre toutes les formes de repli qui nous empêchent de vivre pleinement, dans notre com- plexité et cette multiplicité qu’il y a en chacun de nous. Le monde de l’art vivant a la responsabilité de se rendre accessible au plus grand nombre, et de ne pas s’adresser uni- quement à un public d’initiés. Il est l’art qui doit célébrer! Quels sont vos projets pour dynamiser cette salle devenue incontournable pour la danse à Paris?

“ Il faut amener la danse là où on ne l’attend pas

” “

And at Chaillot itself? The Théâtre de Chaillot will be the setting for many artistic projects for myself and for the artists invited to occupy this magnificent space. The idea is not to showcase works only onstage but to use the entire build- ing as a field of expression from dif- ferent angles. What are your plans for this venue, which has become an epicentre for dance in Paris? I intend to do what has always seemed important to me in the art world: bring together sensibilities that are not accustomed to meeting. I would like different audiences to say “Let’s go spend a day, a week- end, at the theatre”, rather than just “Let’s go see a show tonight”. The idea I hold dear is for spectators to enjoy the entire Chaillot hill, with its many museums (Guimet, Palais de Tokyo, Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, Galliera) and theatres (Chaillot, Champs-Élysées). We must bring dance to where it is not expected ”

Dance reached a much greater public during this year

JUILLET - AOÛT - SEPTEMBRE

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