New York, February 13, 2014 — The Cultural Services of the French Embassy is pleased to announce the full program for DANSE, a multifaceted initiative centered on contemporary dance. Presented in partnership with fourteen leading New York City arts organizations, DANSE includes:
- – a three-week festival, DANSE: A French-American Festival of Performance and Ideas, from May 1–18, 2014, featuring sixteen United States premieres by a some of the most exciting France-based artists at venues across New York City
- – a series of public talks focused on themes and issues central to contemporary dance today
- – two publications: a curated anthology of existing texts by artists, critics and dance scholars on recent choreographic practices, and a catalogue with newly commissioned texts discussing vital issues in contemporary dance.
DANSE grew from a rich and long-running exchange between choreographers, dancers, and presenters in France and the United States, with the goal of giving contemporary dance a more prominent voice and expanding its visibility within a wider public discourse. Through live performance, editorial material and dialogue, DANSE provides a platform for exploring the important role of dance in contemporary cultural practice, and for examining the ways in which dance engages with and informs our understanding of the world.
“We are thrilled to be working with an extraordinary group of artists, presenters, and scholars to present DANSE in New York City,” said Antonin Baudry, Cultural Counselor of the French Embassy. “We decided to embark on this project to encourage a stronger voice for contemporary dance. The artistic choices made by our presenting partners are diverse and adventurous, and the result is a festival eclectic in aesthetic, but coherent in its contemporaneity. It is our hope that DANSE will be an important forum for dialogue on dance’s impactful place in contemporary life, and for continuing the historic artistic partnership between France and the U.S.”
The artists and live performance works that have been selected by the fourteen partner organizations represent a multitude of viewpoints on what makes current dance practice in France dynamic and compelling. Presenting a diverse range of approaches to performance, the selections include new works by established and emerging artists who are making headlines in France and Europe, several of whom are presenting their work in New York for the first time.
DANSE: A French-American Festival of Performance and Ideas will feature U.S. premieres by Cédric Andrieux and Christophe Ives, Cecilia Bengolea and François Chaignaud, the late Alain Buffard, Ashley Chen, Emmanuelle Huynh, Latifa Laâbissi, Maud Le Pladec (NY premiere), Lyon Opera Ballet, Frédéric Nauczyciel, Thierry Thieû Niang, Pierre Rigal, Christian Rizzo, Edmund Russo and Shlomi Tuizer (Affari Esteri), Claudia Triozzi, Annie Vigier and Franck Apertet (les gens d’Uterpan), and David Wampach.
In addition a series of public talks will run through the festival providing further opportunity to examine, question, and debate the various aspects of the role of dance.
The performances and public talks will be presented by DANSE’s partner organizations: Abrons Arts Center, Baryshnikov Arts Center (BAC), Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), Center for Performance Research (CPR), Chez Bushwick, The Chocolate Factory Theater, Danspace Project, French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF), The Invisible Dog Art Center, The Joyce Theater, Julie Meneret Contemporary Art, The Kitchen, La MaMa, MoMA PS1, and New York Live Arts.
In response to the increasing demand for critical analysis in the dance world, the French Cultural Services and les presses du réel are producing two publications that offer many perspectives on where contemporary dance stands on an international scale today.
DANSE: an anthology is a selection of twenty-five key writings on choreography since 2000 across the French, U.S., and international dance scenes. It traces how contemporary dance has evolved to become a site for exploring vital questions about the body, identity, knowledge, and globalization. This wide-ranging collection maps numerous exchanges between dance cultures and critical thought. The anthology is edited by Noémie Solomon, and includes essays by Albrecht Knust, Jonathan Burrows, Boris Charmatz, Jenn Joy, Ralph Lemon, André Lepecki, Laurence Louppe, and Marten Spangberg, among others. Many of the texts have been translated into English for the first time. (Published Jan. 2014, Les Presses du réel, New York Series)
DANSE: a catalogue will examine key issues raised over the course of the DANSE festival to investigate the challenges of contemporary dance today and offer perspectives on positions it could develop in the future. It will include commissions of new texts from artists and experts from France and the U.S. (Published Sept. 2014, Les presses du réel, coll. New York Series)
The project DANSE is dedicated to the late dancer and choreographer Alain Buffard (1960-2013).
DANSE is presented by the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in the U.S. in collaboration with the New York presenters, Institut Français, the French Ministry of Culture and Communication, and with the support of FUSED, a program of NEFA’s National Dance Project and FACE in collaboration with the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in the U.S., Société des Auteurs et Compositeurs Dramatiques (S.A.C.D.), Ville de Rennes, Ville de Lille, Ville de Paris, Ville de Toulouse, Région Languedoc-Roussillon, Région Poitou-Charentes, Spectacle Vivant en Bretagne, and Les presses du réel.
A schedule of performances and events follows. A media kit with artist biographies, a calendar, and complete venue information is attached.For more information about DANSE, visit frenchculture.org/DANSEMedia contact: Janet Stapleton / stapleton.janet@gmail.comPress kits and digital photos are available upon request.
Press Release (PDF)Schedule of Events (PDF) Venues (PDF)
About
THE CULTURAL SERVICES OF THE FRENCH EMBASSY provides a platform for exchange and innovation between French and American artists, intellectuals, educators, students, the tech community, and the general public. Based in New York City, Washington D.C., and eight other cities across the US, the Cultural Services develops the cultural economy by focusing on six principal fields of action: the arts, literature, cinema, the digital sphere, French language and higher education. www.frenchculture.org
INSTITUT FRANÇAIS is in charge of implementing France’s cultural action abroad. Under the supervision of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, its role is to act as the conduit for a new, more ambitious “diplomacy of influence”, within the framework of French governmental policies and priorities. It will help to promote French influence abroad through greater dialogue with foreign cultures, while responding to the needs of France via a policy of listening, partnership and openness to other cultures. www.institutfrancais.com
FRENCH MINISTRY OF CULTURE AND COMMUNICATION aims to make the major works of humanity – and especially those of France – accessible to the largest number of people possible. As such, it maintains a policy of protection and of development of all components of French cultural heritage. It supports the creation of works of art, the development of the artistic and cultural education of children and young adults, and the establishment of local and global cultural initiatives. The ministry focuses on bolstering culture-related governmental policy and it contributes to the evolution of new technologies for sharing cultural creation and heritage. It implements, in conjunction with other related ministries, the actions of the State destined to ensure the influence throughout the world of French culture and artistic creation. It contributes to cultural initiatives outside of France and to initiatives relating to the establishment of French cultural initiatives throughout the world. www.culturecommunication.gouv.fr
FACE (French American Cultural Exchange) is an American nonprofit organization, chartered by the state of New York and dedicated to nurturing French-American relations through innovative international projects in the arts, education, and cultural exchange. In partnership with the Cultural Services of the French Embassy, FACE administers grant programs and projects in the performing and visual arts, cinema, publication and translation, secondary and higher education. www.facecouncil.org.