Close Up

Choreographer Noé Soulier continues to develop his distinctive vocabulary of movement, connecting the fragmented nature of our emotional experience with the intricate polyphony of Bach.

Set to music or simply to the rhythm of their own breathing, the dancers in Close Up move between solos, duets, trios and sextets. At times, they inhabit the individuality of fragmented, physical movement; at others, they come together in unison. Drawing on material developed through improvisation, they perform choreographic phrases built from actions stripped of their original purpose—grabbing, dodging, striking or throwing—yet still charged with their emotional force. This “non-narrative expressiveness” enters into dialogue with the counterpoint of Bach’s Art of Fugue, performed live on stage by Ensemble il Convito. A stunning live video system captures and projects the dancers in real time onto a large screen, shifting the scale so we can come closer to the bodies while also giving them an almost architectural presence.

Concept and Choreography Noé Soulier

With Stéphanie Amurao, Julie Charbonnier, Yumiko Funaya, Samuel Planas, Mélisande Tonolo, Gal Zusmanovich

Ensemble il Convito
Harpsichord and direction Maude Gratton
Baroque flute Amélie Michel
Violin Simon Pierre
Viola da gamba Claire Gratton
Cello Ageet Zweistra

artistic collaboration Julie Charbonnier, Yumiko Funaya, Nagaline Gomis, Samuel Planas, Mélisande Tonolo, Gal Zusmanovich

Scenic design Noé Soulier, Kelig Le Bars & Pierre Martin Oriol
Video design Pierre Martin Oriol
Lighting Kelig Le Bars

Production Cndc – Angers
Project shared with Le Dancing – CDCN
In the context of the Festival Art Danse

^{photo © Delphine Perrin}

Johann Sebastian Bach
Contrepoints 1, 2, 3, 9, 11 et 14 de L’Art de la Fugue, BWV 1080 « Andante » de la Sonate n° 2 pour violon seul en la mineur, BWV 1003