Maguy Marin Y aller voir de plus près

In the face of the cyclical nature of conflicts and human violence, in her new show Maguy Marin opts for historical hindsight. From minor wars to full-scale resistance, the French choreographer invites us, literally, to “look more closely”.

A prominent figure in contemporary dance and committed choreographer, to whom the Festival dedicated a portrait in 2012, Maguy Marin’s different works are spaces for resistance. In Y aller voir de plus près, she delves deep into the multi-layered sediments of History in order to examine it and “question the dead”. In response to ephemeral, yet recurrent acts of barbary, humanity has always stood up against oppression in different ways - which tells us much about the conflicts in today’s world. Among the different sources of inspiration behind Maguy Marin’s work is The History of the Peloponnesian War. This account, by Thucydides, of a great war between Athens and Sparta is considered as one of the earliest examples of an historical text. Spanning Antiquity right up to the present day, four performers navigate a path between struggles, both particular and systemic alike, via associations of ideas and repercussions. In the words of the philosopher René Schérer, “Looking at history from a political point of view enables us to see it in terms of its different moments in time and points of strategic intervention”. And, in the case of Maguy Marin, to stand firm.