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Lucie Domenach & Lou Orblin

Performer / Dancer and director
January-February 2025

  • Performing Arts
  • Los Angeles

“The project finds its full meaning in the city of Los Angeles because it is the diversity of neighborhoods, possibilities, and the network we already possess that drives us and allows us to envision it.”

We met at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Danse de Paris. Both coming from contemporary dance backgrounds, we come from very different worlds. I (Lou) come from hip-hop culture, while I (Lucie) come from classical and contemporary culture. Our common interests quickly brought us together. We are both drawn to the United States, passionate about our profession, and eager to produce artistic and cultural events. We have both individually had the opportunity to travel to Los Angeles. In November 2023, we returned together and created the first L.A DANCE JAM in Los Angeles. The event brought together French and American dancers as well as internationally recognized figures in the dance world. Building on this event, we wish to unite once again to reach less experienced audiences or those from different backgrounds, to exchange and practice together.

 

Lucie Domenach explores the world of dance across multiple spheres. Since earning her master’s degree from the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Danse de Paris in 2022, she has joined Belgian choreographer Lisbeth Gruwez’s company for the creation of Nomadics and has collaborated with Dimitri Chamblas on movement direction for various projects in Los Angeles, Dakar, and France.

In parallel, Lucie brings many ideas to life off-stage, including cultural mediation projects with the Conservatoire de Clichy-Sous-Bois and work in the luxury and fashion sectors with brands such as CHANEL, among others. As a versatile artist, Lucie develops her personal approach to movement with contemporary and current artists. Notably, she performed at the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics with Maud Le Pladec. Lucie hones her production skills in partnership with Lou Orblin, a hip-hop and contemporary dancer, to create the first L.A Dance JAM in Los Angeles in 2023, a project they will continue during their Villa Albertine residency in 2025. Additionally, Lucie, in collaboration with Dimitri Chamblas, is designing the first Chaillot Experience of the 2024-2025 season at Chaillot for the weekend of September 20.

 

Lou Orblin began his classical dance training at the Conservatoire de Montreuil (CRD). He then joined the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional de Boulogne-Billancourt to continue his classical training, as well as to study contemporary dance, jazz, and musical and choreographic studies.

Lou also has a strong background in hip-hop, particularly breakdancing. He has been invited to conduct breakdance workshops for the 2024 Olympics. Today, he continues his career as a dancer and choreographer at the CNSMD de Paris.

Lou Orblin has years of stage experience and expertise in both individual and group teaching through the Boxcrew association he founded in 2018. He has performed in various venues such as Opéra Comique, the Sorbonne, and the Grande Halle de la Villette, and he manages and executes numerous dance and visual creation projects. His art is practiced in Paris and extends to many dance events abroad.

The creation of our L.A DANCE JAM in November 2023 in Los Angeles allowed us to understand that we could realize our dreams and ideas in this city. Since then, we have continuously thought about projects, events, and creations that could come to fruition. Initially, we considered renewing the JAM experience in a more ambitious format. We wanted to organize a festival or an intensive three-day workshop with daytime classes and practices in different dance styles, evening performances with guest artists, conferences, and a grand JAM on the last day to close the event. However, the needs and challenges we encountered, particularly financial issues, led us to rethink the project. We would like to name our project: Lechange&Lacreation, with the two Ls capitalized for our first names. The idea is to create moments of Meeting & Practice. It is a traveling project aimed at intervening on-site in the locations we will name in the WHERE. However, the project finds its full meaning in the city of Los Angeles because it is the diversity of neighborhoods, possibilities, and the network we already possess that drives us and allows us to envision it.

Our visit would take place in two phases: the first phase would involve a conference during which we would talk about our background, training, health, injuries, the life of a freelance professional dancer, opportunities, and projects. We would be accompanied by a doctor, a psychologist, an entrepreneur, or a figure from the sports and/or art world to discuss topics relevant to us. In the second phase, practice. We would like to share an inclusive and participatory moment. For example, we could guide the audience on the spot, based on our methods of “written improvisations,” if the idea is to dance. With the conference and practice, our goal is both to stimulate the artistic and athletic curiosity of our audience and to offer them an evolving sensory experience through physical practice.

The idea is to intervene in Californian universities such as Stanford, Berkeley, UCLA, as well as in French and international high schools in Los Angeles, and also in schools in underprivileged neighborhoods. We are very committed to reaching out to a disadvantaged Californian audience that lacks access to culture and sports in its broadest sense. We would also like to consider the possibility of intervening in major companies, art galleries, or private events.

Indeed, we want to engage with the local culture without confining ourselves. We would like to reach both young people from disadvantaged neighborhoods who do not have access to what we offer, and business leaders interested in our work, as well as students who are determining their life goals. Of course, our intervention could clearly take the form of a performative meeting that we could hold in an art gallery or in a venue that would attract a more discerning audience.

In partnership with

Centre Chorégraphique National d’Orléans

https://www.ccn-orleans.com/fr

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