Virtuoso gesture/daily gesture

Two-way talk by Gaëlle Bourges and Julie Perrin (duration 2h)

What is the imaginary world of dance that runs through us and produces our desire - and sometimes disappointment - in the face of choreographic works? What do we expect of dancing bodies: visible expenditure, demonstrative commitment, flawless technique, impressive virtuosity? Contemporary dance questions the way the body is used and represented: each choreographic project requires a specific body technique. If the scale of movement extends from everyday gesture to virtuosity, does that mean we need to equate it with a scale of value? Rather, we need to understand the motives and effects of this demand for the everyday body, which crops up regularly in the history of dance. We also need to think about what such categories imply (in terms of training or representation), and finally attempt to perceive the discreet virtuosities invented by contemporary dance.

This conference gave rise to a publication:
Julie Perrin (with the complicity of Gaëlle Bourges), "Du quotidien. Une impasse critique", in Barbara Formis (ed.), Gestes à l'oeuvre, de l'Incidence éditions, Paris, 2008, pp. 86-97.