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Bonté divine [Lettres des amants]

CN D - Centre national de la danse 2005 - Director : Centre national de la danse, Réalisation

Choreographer(s) : Boivin, Dominique (France) Houbin, Pascale (France)

Present in collection(s): Centre national de la danse , CN D - Spectacles et performances

Video producer : Centre national de la danse

Integral video available at CND de Pantin

en fr

Bonté divine [Lettres des amants]

CN D - Centre national de la danse 2005 - Director : Centre national de la danse, Réalisation

Choreographer(s) : Boivin, Dominique (France) Houbin, Pascale (France)

Present in collection(s): Centre national de la danse , CN D - Spectacles et performances

Video producer : Centre national de la danse

Integral video available at CND de Pantin

en fr

Bonté divine

“We take up the story of Heloise and Abelard, medieval characters, archetypes of a love story that is both gripping and passionate, linking as its does the secular and spiritual worlds, carnal love and devotion to God. It questions the meaning of faithfulness, commitment, sacrifice, faith, renunciation. We devised ‘Bonté Divine' with humour, intuition, abandon and heart.”

Pascale Houbin, Dominique Boivin

Press

“This piece takes us back to the story of Abelard and Heloise, two medieval but amazingly modern people. With all the humour, sensitivity and tenderness they are known for, the two dancers and choreographers, working together on this occasion, transform the stage into a children's bedroom. They play out the story, without making use of conventional narrative. The audience is carried off into a world of legend, calling upon Boris Vian, Brigitte Fontaine and George Brassens along the way.

With a single back projector taking the place of several videos, the couple tell us everything about what it is to be spiritual and keeps one's wits, in every sense of the word… A real moment of grace.”

Marie-Christine Vernay, Libération, 30 juillet 2004

Updating: décember 2010

Boivin, Dominique

Dominique Boivin followed a classical training before turning to contemporary dance. Carolyn Carlson and the dancers of the GRCOP (Choreographic Research Group of the Paris Opera) introduced him to the teaching of Alwin Nikolais. His first piece, “Quelle fut ta soif?”, won the Humour Prize at the Bagnolet Contest in 1978. In the summer of 1979 he created the solo “L'homme cheval” for the Avignon Festival, which consists of minute, mathematically-orchestrated gestures. In 1979 he obtained a bursary to study in New York for a year, where he trained with Merce Cunningham, Douglas Dunn, Lucinda Childs and Meg Harper.

When he was invited to join the company of the CNDC (National Centre for Contemporary Dance), Angers, directed at the time by Alwin Nikolais, he met many of the dancers with whom he went on to form the Beau Geste company in 1981.

Dominique Boivin danced with a number of companies (Grand Magasin / P. Murtin, F. Hiffler, DCA/P. Decouflé, Astrakan/ D. Larrieu) in between choreographing his own works: "Belles de Nuit“ in 1991, “Carmen” in 1992, “La Belle Etoile” in 1993, “Cabaret Pataphysique” (Pataphysical Cabaret) in 1993. His solo “La danse, une histoire à ma façon...“ (Dance – a history told my way) from 1994, revived in 2000, is a brilliant presentation of the culture of subtle gesture which underpins his choreography. He has choreographed for the operas “Orphée aux Enfers” in Geneva (1997) and "Les Amours de Bastien et Bastienne” in Rouen and Paris (2002), as well as a reworking of the ballet “The Nutcracker” for the Ballet de l'Opéra de Lyon (2001). At the same time, he continued composing for the Beau Geste company: "Petites histoires au-dessus du ciel” in 1996, “Conte sur Moi” in 2000 and “Miniatures de l'Émoi” in 2003.

He collaborated with La Petite Fabrique to choreograph the duet “The Lion and The Rat” as part of the “Les Fables à La Fontaine” project in 2002 and with the Non de Nom/Pascale Houbin company, with whom he composed “Bonté Divine” in 2003 and "Ni d'Ève, ni d'Adam” in 2007.

He ventured into street theatre with the composition of “Transports Exceptionnels” in 2005, a duet for a dancer and a mechanical digger, then, in the same year, he explored the relationship between dance and theatre in "À quoi tu penses?”, using monologues by the writer Marie Nimier.

Further information

Digital resource by the Médiathèque du Centre national de la danse
http://mediatheque.cnd.fr/spip.php?page=mediatheque-numerique-ressource&id=PHO00003944

Company website
Beau Geste

Last update : November 2010

Houbin, Pascale

A dancer and choreographer, Pascale Houbin founded the "Non de Nom" company in 1987 after completing her studies in history and archaeology.

She has danced for Daniel Larrieu, Philippe Decouflé, Sidonie Rochon, and the Alis group (Dominique Soria, Pierre Fourny).

In 1986, she became a qualified teacher at the French Hatha Yoga Federation and teaches regularly.
With her unique way of folding and unfolding space around herself, of creating a meticulous embroidery of clear and finely-honed movement, she combines words with gesture and continues to invent her own language. Her choreographic composition is always inscribed in the stage space like true visual poetry.

Since 1999 she has been involved in a series of artistic collaborations with other designers, choreographers, storytellers, actors and puppeteers.

In addition, since October 2002 she has developed a research and experimentation project “Aujourd'hui à deux mains". This consists of a collection of portraits of gestures, filmed “in the heat of the moment” in different trades (nurseryman, baker, fighter pilot, dressmaker…).

In 2010 she composed a piece during a residency at the International Visual Theatre, directed by Emmanuelle Laborit.

Last creations

Justaucorps 2010
Aujourd'hui à deux mains 2009
Ni d'ève ni d'adam 2007
À blanc 2004
Bonté divine 2003
Mito-Mito 2000
Parole 1999
Récital 1998
Rhizome 1998
Germen et Soma 1995

Further information

Company website
Compagnie Non de Nom

Last update : January 2011

Centre national de la danse, Réalisation

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.).

Bonté divine

Choreography : Pascale Houbin, Dominique Boivin

Interpretation : Pascale Houbin, Dominique Boivin

Additionnal music : montage musical Pascale Houbin, Dominique Boivin - réalisation musicale Jean-Jacques Palix

Lights : Patrice Besombes

Settings : Eric Lamy, Romuald Deprez

Other collaborations : Régie générale Eric Lamy

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