Damien Jalet Thrice

At the request of former Carte Blanche company performer Guro Nagelhus Schia, Thrice is a triptych consisting of shows from different creation periods and brought together for the first time. Gusts, Médusés and Brise-Lames each explore a natural element – air, matter and water – through the movements of the dancers. On stage the performers transform the space, rolling out carpets that gradually form a set, like a passage to another world. 
In Gusts, the three bodies of the dancers seem to be carried by the wind and the sound from the haunting saxophone of Norwegian artist Bendik Giske. The movements are fast, circular, almost unpredictable, like gusts. In Médusés, inspired by the myth of Medusa and created in 2013 at the Louvre museum, six dancers play around with the idea of gaze petrification. Their bodies are alternately stiff and flowing, like living sculptures trying to ward off a powerful spell. 
Finally, Brise-lames takes us into a subaquatic world where movements conjure up waves, a reminder of resilience and the need for human solidarity. This pre-covid commission to Damien Jalet features 9 dancers of Ballet de l’Opéra de Paris, costumes, video footage and set design by French visual artist JR and music composed by Japanese pianist Koki Nakano. 
The show is highly consistent with Jalet’s creative aesthetic. The choreographer is known for his collaborations in film, music and the visual arts, particularly with Kohei Nawa in Vessel and Planet (wanderer), presented at Chaillot, théâtre national de la Danse. With this long-time Chaillot associate, dance becomes a universal language that can translate our relationship to the world and others. 

Delphine Goater
Traduction Jean-Charles Ladurelle
 

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