Aperitif dances
« During the 14th century, the aperitif was considered a medicinal beverage “that opened the pores, the channels, the vessels”. I liked this definition from the dictionary where the terms relate to channels, apertures that allow the body to exchange — substances, gas, liquid, electricity — that are necessary for survival, and that, at the same time, excite the imagination. The pores of the skin become maritime ports, the limbic system (or spinal) becomes a channel of the sea carrying vessels to improbable destinations. Physiological considerations and imagination harmonize, respond to each other, segue into each other. The duo is created with a relay between two dancers, one developing the dance initiated by the other. This dance unfolds in a delightfully burlesque way; it develops from a variety of proposals that are the staring point for the choreographical score. »

Sylvain Prunenec

Updating: September 2011

A graduate of the Paris Conservatoire who has been performing since 1985, Sylvain Prunenec began developing his own projects in 1995 with his company, l'Association du 48. For him, collaborations with artists from other fields, particularly musicians (Françoise Rivalland, Fred Bigot alias Electronicat, Manuel Coursin, Sébastien Roux) and writers (Célia Houdart, Mathieu Riboulet), are opportunities for him to question and consider his own dance practice and the place of the performer in the process of creation and presentation.

Between 2000 and 2005, during travels and residencies in several African countries, he forged strong links with African artists, particularly the Adugna company and Faustin Linyekula's Studios Kabako, links which led to an exchange project between Ethiopia, the Congo and France: "KinAddis / Chantiers chorégraphiques", 2004-2005.
  More recently, in response to a commission from the Concordan(s)e festival, he collaborated with author Mathieu Riboulet on a duet project “Jetés dehors”, which was first performed in April 2010.

During the 2008-2009 season in residence at the Théâtre de Vanves (Ile-de-France), “Ouvrez!” marked the beginning of a new and ongoing stage in his work, which currently takes the form of a triptych of solos (two of which already existed: "Love me, love me, love me" and "Psycho Killer", 2009), on the themes of love, criminal impulse and sexual ecstasy. This project, under the overall title of "Gare!", was first performed at the Centre National de la Danse Contemporaine (CNDC), Angers in January 2011.

In addition to his performances and improvisations, whether outdoors or in arts venues ("Effroi électrique", "Glacial Topo", "A point", "Station 1"...), Sylvain Prunenec teaches regularly at the CNDC, Angers, where he trains choreographic artists (FAC course).
 

Further information: Company website 

Digital resources by the CND Médiathèque
http://mediatheque.cnd.fr/spip.php?page=mediatheque-numerique-ressource&id=PHO00003856
http://mediatheque.cnd.fr/spip.php?page=mediatheque-numerique-ressource&id=PHO00003845

Since 2001, the National Center for Dance (CND) has been making recordings of its shows and educational programming and has created resources from these filmed performances (interviews, danced conferences, meetings with artists, demonstrations, major lessons, symposia specialized, thematic arrangements, etc.).