Musée de la danse: Three Collective Gestures Dance Series at the Museum of Modern Art

By

October 18, 2013–November 03, 2013

The Donald B. and Catherine C. Marron Atrium, second floor, and other locations throughout the Museum

Images provided by The Museum of Modern Art

Choreographer Boris Charmatz (French, b. 1973), in collaboration with his groundbreaking institution Musée de la danse, brings a three-week dance program to The Museum of Modern Art this fall. Musée de la danse: Three Collective Gestures takes place in the Donald B. and Catherine C. Marron Atrium and other spaces throughout the Museum over the course of three consecutive weekends, from October 18 through November 3, 2013. All three performances are U.S. premieres. 20 Dancers for the XX Century (2012/13) will be performed October 18–20; Levée des conflits (extended)/Suspension of Conflicts (Extended) (2010/13) will be performed October 25–27; and Flip Book (2008/13) will be performed November 1–3, with Saturday performances to be live-streamed on www.MoMA.org.

Musée de la danse. 20 Dancers for the XX Century. Dancer: Lénio Kaklea. Les Champs Libres Rennes (FR). 2012. Photo: Nyima Leray

Musée de la danse. 20 Dancers for the XX Century. Dancer: Lénio Kaklea. Les Champs Libres Rennes (FR). 2012. Photo: Nyima Leray

Musée de la danse. 20 Dancers for the XX Century. Dancer: Magali Caillet-Gajan. Film: Watermotor. Choreography and interpretation: Trisha Brown. Film by Babette Mangolte. 1978. Les Champs Libres Rennes (FR). 2012. Photo: Nyima Leray

Musée de la danse. 20 Dancers for the XX Century. Dancer: Magali Caillet-Gajan. Film: Watermotor. Choreography and interpretation: Trisha Brown. Film by Babette Mangolte. 1978. Les Champs Libres Rennes (FR). 2012. Photo: Nyima Leray

Musée de la danse. 20 Dancers for the XX Century. Dancer: Raphaëlle Delaunay. Les Champs Libres Rennes (FR). 2012. Photo: Nyima Leray

Musée de la danse. 20 Dancers for the XX Century. Dancer: Raphaëlle Delaunay. Les Champs Libres Rennes (FR). 2012. Photo: Nyima Leray

Musée de la danse. 20 Dancers for the XX Century. Dancer: Fabian Barba. Les Champs Libres Rennes (FR). 2012. Photo: Nyima Leray

Musée de la danse. 20 Dancers for the XX Century. Dancer: Fabian Barba. Les Champs Libres Rennes (FR). 2012. Photo: Nyima Leray

In 2009, Charmatz became director of the Centre chorégraphique national de Rennes et de Bretagne in northwestern France and promptly renamed it Musée de la danse (The Dancing Museum), in order to articulate the idea of dance divested of notions of “choreography,” “center,” and “national.” Through this gesture and his broader practice, Charmatz emphasized the museum not only as a space for predetermined, scripted movement and exhibition, but also as a framing device for dance that redefines traditional notions of museums and collections.

Boris Charmatz. 2011. Photo: Richard Dumas

Boris Charmatz. 2011. Photo: Richard Dumas

Over the past five years, Musée de la danse has functioned as a museum in progress, extending far beyond the space in Rennes and engaging dancers, artists, architects, and scholars from various contexts. For Musée de la danse: Three Collective Gestures, American and European dancers and performers engage in three different projects, each experimenting with different formats and re-imagining the function of dance and its relationship with the body, society, and the institution. The subtitle “Three Collective Gestures” suggests the importance of collaboration, participation, and transmission in all the three projects.

 

Musée de la danse. Flip Book. 2008. Concept: Boris Charmatz. Performed in 2012 in the Tanks, Tate Modern. Photo: Tate Photography, Gabrielle Fonseca Johnson. © Tate, London, 2013

Musée de la danse. Flip Book. 2008. Concept: Boris Charmatz. Performed in 2012 in the Tanks, Tate Modern. Photo: Tate Photography, Gabrielle Fonseca Johnson. © Tate, London, 2013

 

Musée de la danse. Flip Book. 2008. Concept: Boris Charmatz. Performed in 2012 in the Tanks, Tate Modern. Photo: Tate Photography, Gabrielle Fonseca Johnson. © Tate, London, 2013

Musée de la danse. Flip Book. 2008. Concept: Boris Charmatz. Performed in 2012 in the Tanks, Tate Modern. Photo: Tate Photography, Gabrielle Fonseca Johnson. © Tate, London, 2013

 

Musée de la danse. Flip Book. 2008. Concept: Boris Charmatz. Performed in 2012 in the Tanks, Tate Modern. Photo: Tate Photography, Gabrielle Fonseca Johnson. © Tate, London, 2013

Musée de la danse. Flip Book. 2008. Concept: Boris Charmatz. Performed in 2012 in the Tanks, Tate Modern. Photo: Tate Photography, Gabrielle Fonseca Johnson. © Tate, London, 2013

 

Musée de la danse. Flip Book. 2008. Concept: Boris Charmatz. Performed in 2012 in the Tanks, Tate Modern. Photo: Tate Photography, Gabrielle Fonseca Johnson. © Tate, London, 2013

Musée de la danse. Flip Book. 2008. Concept: Boris Charmatz. Performed in 2012 in the Tanks, Tate Modern. Photo: Tate Photography, Gabrielle Fonseca Johnson. © Tate, London, 2013

Musée de la danse: Three Collective Gestures is organized by Ana Janevski, Associate Curator; with Martin Hartung, Curatorial Assistant; Leora Morinis, Curatorial Assistant; and Jill Samuels, Producer, Department of Media and Performance Art; in collaboration with Boris Charmatz, Director; Sandra Neuveut, Deputy Director; and Martina Hochmuth, Production Director, Musée de la danse/Centre chorégraphique national de Rennes et de Bretagne.

The project is made possible by MoMA’s Wallis Annenberg Fund for Innovation in Contemporary Art through the Annenberg Foundation. Additional funding is provided by the MoMA Annual Exhibition Fund. The Museum acknowledges support from the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in the United States.