THE water lilies disappear into the darkness. In the oval room of the Musée de l’Orangerie, in Paris, the water panels made by Monet at the end of his life, between 1890 and 1926, dissolved in a cosmic cloud whose contours we no longer perceive. They envelop a dark, strange, oversized figure that seems to extract itself from its surroundings to live its life. Two shadows appear and soon return to blend into the ambient nebula.
This performance titled Figuresdanced and imagined by Dalila Belaza with Aragorn Boulanger, it was exhibited on Monday, October 14, in the choreographic cycle “Dance dans les Nymphéas”. In front of an audience seated in a semicircle on cushions, the ritual of metamorphosis proposed by Belaza acquires a halo of solemnity. The challenge of measuring up to Monet’s masterpiece lining the curved walls has been all but erased here. “I didn’t want to get caught up in this frame and have water lilies serve as a background for my gestureDalila Belaza explains. By hiding them – which apparently hasn’t been done before – for me it’s about finding a balance between them and my work. The atmosphere of the paintings, on the other hand, and the place create a special resonance and open a new narrative to my piece. »
This fade to black is indeed a first as part of this operation launched in 2018 which saw stars like Carolyn CarlsonCanadian Marie Chouinarda regular at museums in Canada and the United States, or in Israel Sharon Eyal. “Until now, Monet’s painted panels have always been highlighted and moved by choreographers, so amazed are they to face this world-famous masterpiece.says Isabelle Danto, programmer. It is an inspiring, if very intimidating, space.. Dance and painting most often function as vessels of communication between contemplation and action. »
Exciting challenge
This meeting at the Orangerie, highly appreciated by the public, takes place in a museum agenda, in France and abroad, increasingly armored by choreographic pieces of all kinds. From the Orsay to the Louvre via the Center Pompidou in Paris, from the Tate Modern in London to the MoMA in New York, which also has a department dedicated to performance and dance, the programming of performances has now become part of the routine and they have gained momentum in the last ten years. “Dance is always looking for new territories”explained Isabelle Danto.
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