A lifetime of dance and choreography. Memories of gestures and scores. A self-portrait of a 21st century artist.
French choreographer Jérôme Bel (Gala, The show must go on, Cédric Andrieux) continues his renowned portrait series, this time examining himself. Through a combination of lecture, archival video excerpts, and live dance, Bel constructs a genealogy of the driving forces behind his work—what he calls an “auto-bio-choreo-graphy.” He reflects on the doubts, commitments, failures, and questions present throughout his career and creative process. In this impassioned illumination of the motivations of contemporary performance and postmodern dance, the personal becomes entangled with the artistic and the political.
For ecological reasons, Bel and his company stopped traveling by plane in 2019. This performance, therefore, relies on a unique collaboration with Philadelphia dancer Megan Bridge (Fidget). Bridge serves as director and translator, in addition to portraying Bel on stage. She embodies Bel’s honesty and vulnerability, holding tension between humanism and formalism.
Producer: R.B. Jérôme Bel
Co-Producers: Ménagerie de Verre (Paris), La Commune centre dramatique national d’Aubervilliers, Festival d’Automne à Paris, R.B. Jérôme Bel (Paris)
Performed by: Megan Bridge, co-director of Fidget
Jérôme Bel with Megan Bridge
September 30 at 7:30pm
October 1 at 7:30pm
October 2 at 3:00pm
FringeArts, 140 N Christopher Columbus Blvd, Philadelphia
Tickets: $25 online at https://fringearts.com/event/jerome-bel-2021/all/
