Retour en Avant / Past Forward Biennale de la Danse Lyon - France

histoire(s) is a video documentary-cum-performance,an analytical work thattakes as its starting-pointRoland Petit’s piece Le JeuneHomme et la Mort. Initiatedas part of the “Hommages”programme at the Culturgesttheatre in Lisbon, it premieredin May 2004 at the Kunstenarts festival in Brussels.Olga de SotoAfter studying classical dance,contemporary dance and solfege inher native Spain, Olga de Soto continuedher training at the prestigious NationalCentre for Contemporary Dance (CNDC)in Angers, France. She worked with, amongothers, Michèle Anne De Mey, Claudio Bernardo,Eric Pauwels, Pierre Droulers and Félix Ruckert.Since 1992, based in Brussels, she has beenresearching choreography, partly in conjunctionwith the study of works by contemporary musiccomposers such as Salvatore Sciarrino, MichaelJarrell, Kaija Saariaho, Stefano Scodanibbio,Frederic Rzewski and Denis Pousseur.Her career as a creator began in 1992 with thesolo Patios, which was followed by a variety ofpieces including I believe that I act… (…uponthe dimension of time it will be difficult to findmyself at the place where I am expected to be),Hontanar, Paumes, anarborescences and Eclatsmats. In 1995 she founded Abaroa, a team ofartists from various disciplines.De Soto was resident choreographer at LaRaffinerie, Brussels, from 1999-2002. In June2003, she created histoire(s) (first version). Thefollowing year, at the Kunstenfestivaldesarts inBrussels, she presented Incorporer, the first in aseries of five solos whose starting-point was theshows Eclats mats and histoire(s).From 1999-2004 she collaborated with JérômeBel, assisting him in creating The Show MustGo On and performing in the piece. She alsocollaborated with Boris Charmatz on a revival ofCon forts fleuve.histoire(s) / 2004 creationhistoire(s) is a video installation that is close tohistorical documentary.What is it that marks the memory of audiencemembers, long after the show they watched onenight has faded?The choreographer went searching for the spectatorswho, on 25 June 1946 at the Théâtre desChamps-Elysées in Paris, attended the premiereof a mythical ballet based on a Jean Cocteauidea. As she interviewed them, their memoriesand emotions flooded back and the show cameback to life; the eyes that had once absorbed itin the dark now shed light on it. The choreographerhas crafted these recollections into a subjectiveimprint which she projects on the screensof a theatre stage, the original setting.Claire Diez, playwright43