Jérôme Bel Gala (2015)

After Disabled Theater, a piece performed by a troupe of mentally handicapped actors and Cour d’honneur, which put a group of spectators centre-stage, Jérôme Bel’s latest creation uses the same question as its starting point: how can we bring to the realms of onstage representation individuals and bodies that are all too often excluded from such a possibility? How can we make best use of all the various resources of this unique apparatus, the theatre - with its codes, venues, genres and professionals - in order to enlarge the perimeter of what can be shown in it? And how can we (re)shape it into a democratic means that lies within the grasp of all those drawn to dance, singing and the performing arts?

Driven on by the experience of the “danse et voix” workshops, run with amateurs from various towns in Seine Saint-Denis, Jérôme Bel sought to set down a flexible framework to travel with, and which could give rise to a wide variety of forms. He wanted it to be accessible to amateurs from all different horizons and to provide them with the opportunity to give their all and make the project their own. In doing so, he took that most “commonplace” of theatrical experiences: the gala, a festive, group occasion, spanning end-of-year shows and amateur performances. He then subverted the genre in order to cover different styles, fragments of stories, and build up inventory of a dance “with no particular qualities”, and which would bring out all the possible relationships that are unique to the body and voice. What is it that makes us dance? How do we watch dance that might be fragile, precarious, without indulging in notions of judgement, such as “well done” or “badly done”? The result is a gala that is bitty, patched up, traversed by moments of reflection, like galleries of living portraits. With a mixture of professionals and amateurs, and its “Fail again. Fail better” emphasis, Gala goes from one theatre to the next, like “a mirror taking a stroll by the side of a road”, and brings home to us something about the making of those we are watching as well as the way we watch. 

Other performances you could attend :
Ballet (extract from Gala) // Running time : 30 minutes
MUSÉE D’ART MODERNE DE LA VILLE DE PARIS
Thursday 10 December 20h
www.mam.paris.fr

Diaporama (extract from Gala) // Running time : 8 minutes (in continuous loop)
Palais de Tokyo
Thu 10 December to Wed 6 January
www.palaisdetokyo.com

1000 // Running time : 35 minutes (a performance designed solely for non-theatre spaces)
MUSÉE D’ART MODERNE DE LA VILLE DE PARIS
Thu 15 October 20h as part of the Co-workers exhibition
www.mam.paris.fr

MUSÉE DU LOUVRE In collaboration with the FIAC
Friday 23 October (starting time tbc) as part of the Ouvertures/Openings cycle
www.louvre.fr