Noé Soulier, Maud Blandel, Liam Francis: three dance performances at Théâtre de la Ville in Paris

Three pieces by Noé Soulier, Maud Blandel and Liam Francis are brought together at Théâtre de la Ville, for an evening of contemporary dance driven by the diversity of choreographic writing.

The Théâtre de la Ville presents a singular evening of three choreographic proposals under the banner of gesture, memory and identity. Through Petites Perceptions by Noé Soulier, La Rumeur by Maud Blandel and A Body of Rumours by Liam Francis, this evening brings together choreographies from different artistic backgrounds, but with the same attention to the complexity of movement.

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Created in 2010, Petites Perceptions by Noé Soulier has become a landmark piece in the contemporary repertoire. The trio, which won first prize in the Danse élargie competition, explores a gestural grammar in which each movement is constructed on the borderline between the perceptible and the intentional. Noé Soulier, now director of the Centre national de danse contemporaine in Angers, had already laid the foundations for research into body language as a vector of thought.

With La Rumeur, Maud Blandel invites twenty CNDC students to question the notion of transmission and identity through collective writing. Gestures, at first simple and everyday, are transformed and distorted to create a physical rumor that spreads through the space. The multiplicity of bodies here becomes a refusal of uniformity, and a praise of singularity.

Finally, A Body of Rumours, by British dancer-choreographer Liam Francis, questions the notion of community in a style that is both intimate and open. A former performer with Ballet Rambert, the artist presents a trio in which the bond between bodies is forged through listening, tensions and the complicities of everyday life.

This evening is aimed at contemporary dance aficionados interested in exploring different choreographic languages in a single stage presentation. The diversity of formats, writing styles and generations brought together makes this a moment that is both demanding and accessible. On the other hand, audiences looking for a linear narrative or a classic narrative performance may find some of the pieces too abstract.

Between formal exploration and collective power, these three works present a living dance, conceived as an extension of our bodies, our relationships and our times.

This article is based on publicly available information and is not based on direct experience of the show.

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