Skip to main content
Back to search
  • Add to playlist

Steppe

Through  a broadcast of video images, Carolyn Carlson introduces us into a  metaphysical universe where the sacred and the profane interfere: the  Carsonian symbolism has never been so obvious, as well as its  affiliation with the magician Alwin Nikolaïs.
The  sequences shot in the woods give an ecological character to the show:  the water, the trees, the small paths, the stone which rolls  harmoniously and which becomes the symbol of the real and the imaginary;  this in a nebulous light close to a Fantin Latour and an Odilon Redon. The  scale brandished in space by Larrio looms in infinity to generate the  mysteries of Carolyn Carlson crunching the poisoned apple, Larrio  playing with her the Prince Charming, reveals the comical gifts of the  "Divine". She finds her poetic aura in her aerial walk in the woods, this is the image of Botticelli's Printemps. Modern  dance revisited by Carolyn Carlson fits perfectly into this  surrealistic universe dedicated to fraternity, to pure love.

Source: Gilberte Cournand, journalist and dance critic (Text from the room sheet of Théâtre de la Ville de Paris)

Carlson, Carolyn

California-born Carolyn Carlson defines herself first and foremost as a nomad. From San Francisco Bay to the University of Utah, from the Alwin Nikolais company in New York to Anne Béranger’s in France, from Paris Opera Ballet to Teatrodanza La Fenice in Venice, from the Théâtre de la Ville de Paris to Helsinki, from Ballet Cullberg to La Cartoucherie in Paris, from the Venice Biennale to Roubaix, Carlson is a tireless traveller, always seeking to develop and share her poetic universe.

She arrived in France in 1971 the beneficiary of Alwin Nikolais’s ideas about movement, composition and teaching. The following year, with Rituel pour un rêve mort, she wrote a poetic manifesto that defined an approach to her work that she has adhered to ever since: dance that is strongly oriented towards philosophy and spirituality. Carlson prefers the term ‘visual poetry’ to ‘choreography’ to describe her work. She creates works that express her poetic thoughts and a form of complete art within which movement occupies a special place. 

For four decades, Carlson has had significant influence and success in many European countries. She played a key role in the birth of French and Italian contemporary dance through the GRTOP (theatre research group) at Paris Opera Ballet and Teatrodanza at La Fenice.

She has created over 100 pieces, a large number of which are landmarks in the history of dance, including Density 21.5, The Year of the Horse, Blue Lady, Steppe, Maa, Signes, Writings on Water and Inanna. In 2006, her work was rewarded with the first ever Golden Lion given to a choreographer by the Venice Biennale.

Nowadays, Carolyn Carlson is director of two organisations: the Atelier de Paris-Carolyn Carlson, an international centre for masterclasses, residencies and creating new works, which she founded in 1999 and the National Choreographic Centre Roubaix Nord-Pas de Calais until December 2013, which produces and tours shows all over the world.


More information: en.carolyn-carlson.com

Picq, Charles

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

Carolyn Carlson Company

Artistic Direction: Carolyn Carlson

Creation: 2014 


Recognised for her talents as a choreographer, Carolyn Carlson is equally a “group leader”, gathering around herself the personalities who nourish her poetic world. Her creations are the fruit of exchanges with performers which she chooses primarily for their distinctiveness and their capacity to commit to a composition process based on improvisation techniques. Today, the Carolyn Carlson Company consists of a group of dancers who come together in various combinations, depending on the work or project.

Dancers Constantine Baecher, Ismaera Takeo Ishii, Chinatsu Kosakatani, Juha Marsalo,  Celine Maufroid, Riccardo Meneghini, Isida Micani,  Yutaka Nakata, Alexis Ochin, Sara Orselli, Sara Simeoni

“The Carolyn Carlson Company is a hive of activity, an area of creativity and freedom in which intertwine gesture and poetic thought...”

January 2014: after nine years as director of the CCN de Roubaix Nord-Pas de Calais, Carolyn Carlson returns to Paris and funds her company, the Carolyn Carlson Company (CCCy), in residency at the Théâtre National de Chaillot from 2014 to 2016.

With a unique repertory and accompanied by dancers true to her poetical gesture, Carolyn pursues her creative process: each year, the Carolyn Carlson Company carries out at least two large scale projects, a creation and the transmission of repertoire pieces to the most prestigious international ballets, while continuing touring the choreographers’ creations worldwide.


More information : carolyn-carlson.com

Steppe

Choreography : Carolyn Carlson

Choreography assistance : Larrio Ekson

Interpretation : Michèle Abbondanza, Antonella Bertoni, Magda Borrull Pascual, Carolyn Carlson, Laurent Dauzou, Larrio Ekson, Peter Morin, Markku Nenonen, Verena Weiss

Artistic consultancy / Dramaturgy : William Snow

Original music : René Aubry

Video conception : Marlène Ionesco

Lights : Peter Vos

Costumes : Mia

Other collaborations : Claude Lê Anh (diapositives)

Production / Coproduction of the video work : Charles Picq

Our videos suggestions
02:55

Relâche

  • Add to playlist
02:58

Deux-mille-dix-sept

Marin, Maguy (France)

  • Add to playlist
03:01

Hard to Be Soft

Doherty, Oona (France)

  • Add to playlist
03:04

Lobby

Zebiri, Moncef (France)

  • Add to playlist
03:07

Skin

Tchouda, Bouba Landrille (France)

  • Add to playlist
29:31

Post

Raffinot, François (France)

  • Add to playlist
44:45

Blas Payri - Tres visiones de Santa Teresa de Avila

  • Add to playlist
15:34

Cinderella

Malandain, Thierry (France)

  • Add to playlist
03:28

Kaz Bourbon - focus

Bulin, Nadjani (Reunion)

  • Add to playlist
03:58

Impair - focus

Brabant, Jérôme (Reunion)

  • Add to playlist
14:31

DéBaTailles [transmission 2015]

Plassard, Denis (France)

  • Add to playlist
20:40

Gueule de loup [transmission 2015]

Bastin, Christine (France)

  • Add to playlist
53:18

Ariadne Mikou - architecture in disappearance

  • Add to playlist
24:23

Triton (audiodescription)

  • Add to playlist
29:37

Le Vif du sujet : Petit psaume du matin (audiodescription)

  • Add to playlist
08:49

L'Atomurbin

  • Add to playlist
03:38

Crushing Weight

Sarmiento, Irupé (Brazil)

  • Add to playlist
18:51

Danses Macabres 5

  • Add to playlist
19:02

Danses Macabres 4

  • Add to playlist
18:41

Danses Macabres 3

  • Add to playlist
Our themas suggestions

Dance out loud

Exposition virtuelle

fr/en/

DANCE AND DIGITAL ARTS

Exposition virtuelle

fr/en/

Yield Variations on dissuasive urban furniture

Exposition virtuelle

fr/en/

(LA)HORDE: RESIST TOGETHER

Exposition virtuelle

fr/en/

Vlovajobpru company

Exposition virtuelle

fr/en/

40 years of dance and music

Exposition virtuelle

fr/en/

Indian dances

Discover Indian dance through choreographic creations which unveil it, evoke it, revisit it or transform it!

Parcours

fr/en/

The “Nouvelle Danse Française” of the 1980s

In France, at the beginning of the 1980s, a generation of young people took possession of the dancing body to sketch out  their unique take on the world. 

Parcours

fr/en/

Body and conflicts

A look on the bonds which appear to emerge between the dancing body and the world considered as a living organism.

Parcours

fr/en/

James Carlès

Exposition virtuelle

fr/en/

Memories (ou l'oubli)

Exposition virtuelle

fr/en/

les ballets C de la B and the aesthetic of reality

Exposition virtuelle

fr/en/

Meeting with literature

Collaboration between a choreographer and a writer can lead to the emergence of a large number of combinations. If sometimes the choreographer creates his dance around the work of an author, the writer can also choose dance as the subject of his text.

Parcours

fr/en/

When reality breaks in

How does choreographic works are testimonies of the world? Does the contemporary artist is the product of an era, of its environment, of a culture?

Parcours

fr/en/

Dance and performance

 Here is a sample of extracts illustrating burlesque figures in Performances.

Parcours

fr/en/

Do you mean Folklores?

Presentation of how choreographers are revisiting Folklore in contemporary creations.

Parcours

fr/en/

The BNP Paribas Foundation

Exposition virtuelle

fr/en/

Maison de la danse

Exposition virtuelle

fr/en/

Dancing bodies

Focus on the variety of bodies offered by contemporary dance and how to show these bodies: from complete nudity to the body completely hidden or covered.

Parcours

fr/en/

Pantomimes

Presentation of Pantomimes in the different types of dance.

Parcours

fr/en/
By accessing the website, you acknowledge and accept the use of cookies to assist you in your browsing.
You can block these cookies by modifying the security parameters of your browser or by clicking onthis link.
I accept Learn more