The Spectator's Moment or how to discover an artist, a piece of work or a company in just two minutes. It is a collection of programmes produced by the Maison de la Danse in Lyon and presented by Dominique Hervieu. Each episode is devoted to an artist or a company that is programmed at the Maison de la Danse and offers the public keys or artistic benchmarks for better understanding and appreciating the choreographic art.
 



© Maison de la Danse de Lyon

Author, filmmaker and video artist Charles Picq (1952-2012) entered working life in the 70s through theatre and photography. A- fter resuming his studies (Maîtrise de Linguistique - Lyon ii, Maîtrise des sciences et Techniques de la Communication - grenoble iii), he then focused on video, first in the field of fine arts at the espace Lyonnais d'art Contemporain (ELAC) and with the group « Frigo », and then in dance.
   On creation of the Maison de la Danse in Lyon in 1980, he was asked to undertake a video documentation project that he has continued ever since. During the ‘80s, a decade marked in France by the explosion of contemporary dance and the development of video, he met numerous artists such as andy Degroat, Dominique Bagouet, Carolyn Carlson, régine Chopinot, susanne Linke, Joëlle Bouvier and regis Obadia, Michel Kelemenis. He worked in the creative field with installations and on-stage video, as well as in television with recorded shows, entertainment and documentaries.

His work with Dominique Bagouet (80-90) was a unique encounter. He documents his creativity, assisting with Le Crawl de Lucien and co-directing with his films Tant Mieux, Tant Mieux and 10 anges. in the 90s he became director of video development for the Maison de la Danse and worked, with the support of guy Darmet and his team, in the growing space of theatre video through several initiatives:
       - He founded a video library of dance films with free public access. This was a first for France. Continuing the video documentation of theatre performances, he organised their management and storage.
       - He promoted the creation of a video-bar and projection room, both dedicated to welcoming school pupils.
       - He started «présentations de saisons» in pictures.
       - He oversaw the DVD publication of Le tour du monde en 80 danses, a pocket video library produced by the Maison de la Danse for the educational sector.

       - He launched the series “scènes d'écran” for television and online. He undertook the video library's digital conversion and created Numeridanse.

His main documentaries are: enchaînement, Planète Bagouet, Montpellier le saut de l'ange, Carolyn Carlson, a woman of many faces, grand ecart, Mama africa, C'est pas facile, Lyon, le pas de deux d'une ville, Le Défilé, Un rêve de cirque.

He has also produced theatre films: Song, Vu d'ici (Carolyn Carlson), Tant Mieux, Tant Mieux, 10 anges, Necesito and So schnell, (Dominique Bagouet), Im bade wannen, Flut and Wandelung (Susanne Linke), Le Cabaret Latin (Karine Saporta), La danse du temps (Régine Chopinot), Nuit Blanche (Abou Lagraa), Le Témoin (Claude Brumachon), Corps est graphique (Käfig), Seule et WMD (Françoise et Dominique Dupuy), La Veillée des abysses (James Thiérrée), Agwa (Mourad Merzouki), Fuenteovejuna (Antonio Gades), Blue Lady revistied (Carolyn Carlson).

Source: Maison de la Danse de Lyon

Artistic direction: Michael Keegan-Dolan

Creation: 1997

Described as ‘one of the most daring and highly original dance theatre companies in the world’ (The Times), Fabulous Beast Dance Theatre is an international ensemble based in County Longford, Ireland, led by Artistic Director Michael Keegan-Dolan.

Most recent work is a new Stravinsky double bill, « The Rite of Spring  & Petrushka »  (co-production with Sadler’s Wells). A re-imagining of Michael Keegan-Dolan’s Olivier-nominated version of « The Rite of Spring », which premiered to critical acclaim at the London Coliseum in 2009, is accompanied by a new interpretation of « Petrushka », creating an enthralling double bill of dance theatre.

In « Rian », eight dancers from around the world and four of Ireland’s top musicians unite with Michael Keegan-Dolan and Liam Ó Maonlaí to create an expressive cultural hybrid. « Rian » taps into healthy life-enhancing traditions with influences from faraway places to evoke a timeless vision of the real indescribable nature of things.
Other recent Fabulous Beast work includes « Julius Caesar » (2012), directed and choreographed by Michael Keegan-Dolan, a co-production with English National Opera, and « Helen + Hell » (2010).

Fabulous Beast is also known for several ground-breaking and controversial productions, delivered in a unique style blending narrative and physical theatre, dance, and song and set in the Irish Midlands. These include two more Olivier Award-nominated productions, « Giselle » (2003) and « The Bull » (2005), and also « James Son of James » (2007), which were co-produced with the Dublin Theatre Festival and bite at the Barbican Centre (London), of which Fabulous Beast was an Artistic Associate. Fabulous Beast’s productions prior to « Giselle » are: « Sunday Lunch » (1997), « Fragile » (1999), « The Flowerbed » (2000), and « The Christmas Show » (2001).

In 2014, the company has been dissolved.

Source: Fabulous Beast 's website

More information

fabulousbeast.net