Dublin Dance Festival presents
Irish Premiere
Post-Show Discussion: Sat 11 May
This piece for drones and dancers evokes two opposing realities – one of innocent childhood play, the other of deadly modern warfare.
At first playful, the swarm of surveillance drones on stage interact with three dancers. They cross paths, approaching and retreating from the microphone, to create the work’s unique and unsettling soundtrack. Then, connecting in real-time via Skype with artists in Gaza, Phoenix opens a window into another world where the roar of drones, and the threat they represent, are ever present.
These artists speak and share their dances with us – their artform, an act of resistance. Using video footage, the audience also follows the breakdancing collective, Myuz GB Crew, as they practice their acrobatic parkour in urban areas of Gaza.
A collaboration between the Palestinian artists and the Shonen company, Phoenix continues choreographer Eric Minh Cuong Castaing’s exploration into the interplay of dance and technology.
Credits
Concept & Choreography: Eric Minh Cuong Castaing in collaboration with the dancers
Performers (On Stage): Jeanne Colin, Nans Pierson, Kevin Fay
Performers (Via Skype/Video): Mumen Khalifa, Myuz GB Crew (Meuse Abu Matira, Hamad Abu Hasira, Mohammed Abu Ramadan)
Drone Pilot: Scott Stevenson
Translator: Tamara Saade
Dramaturgy & Design Assistance: Marine Relinger
Dramaturgical Advice: Aloun Marchal, Alessandro Sciarroni, Pauline Simon, Anne-Sophie Turion
Lighting: Sébastien Lefèvre
Sound Design: Gregoire Simon, Alexandre Bouvier
Technical Assistance: Julien Léo David, Mahmoud Alhaj
Cameraman (Gaza): Mostafa Abou Thoria
Video: Pierre Gufflet
Video Editing: François Duverger Coordination
Coordinator (Gaza): Suzanne Groothuis, Ingrid Rollema, Pieter de Ruiter
Production: Juliette Raffier
Administration: Maxime Kottmann
Press
“Not a dance piece, not a performance, not a conference, but a little bit of all that. Indefinable, disturbing, intriguing. [With the potential] To change the perception of Gaza. And maybe even that of dance …” Dansercanalhistorique [break]
“Phoenix unsettles by its distinction into two universes (…) that do not seem made to converge.” Dansercanalhistorique [break]
“A dozen tiny drones, while passing in front of the microphone, write the notes of an unpublished musical score.” Le Figaro [break]
“The artistic miracle often takes place where you do not expect it (…) It is the choreographer Eric Minh Cuong Castaing we owe this epiphany.” — M Le Magazine du Monde
Funding
Phoenix was created by the Shonen company, in collaboration with Palestinian artists living in Gaza. The piece notably includes a video work made by the breakdancers collective Myuz GB Crew, who practice acrobatic « parkour » in the urban areas of Gaza.
Ballet National de Marseille | Festival de Marseille | Pôle Arts de la Scène – Friche la Belle de Mai | Charleroi danse, Centre Chorégraphique de Wallonie – Bruxelles | Via-Danse-CCN de Bourgogne Franche-Comté à Belfort | Institut Français du Liban | Tanzhaus-nrw (Düsseldorf) | 2 angles (Flers) | Hellerau – European Center for the Arts Dresden | CCN de Créteil et du Val-de-Marne / Compagnie Käfig direction Mourad Merzouki dans le cadre de l’Accueil Studio | Support DRAC PACA – Direction Régionale des Affaires Culturelles Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur | Institut français in Paris and Marseilles city | Fonds Transfabrik – franco-German fund for live entertainment | Participation DICRéAM | Groupe de la Caisse des dépôts et Consignations | Hope Foundation in Gaza | studio lending Laboratoires d’Aubervilliers.
Disclaimer
Duration : 50 mins approx. (no interval)
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