Press Reviews

... This piece in three acts evokes the birth, or rather the rebirth, of man. The backdrop, a magnificent canvas by Dolores Balslobres, represents a dead forest of burnt trees. From their ashes life will be reborn : First man, magnificent in his solitude and his nakedness, recounting his frustrations, his hopes, his unachieved desires. He must fight to survive, to break free from his imprisonment. Hence, a warrior-like dance of astonishing physical strength, demonstrating his determination, his force, his courage. Everything changes with the arrival of the woman. The discovery of the other brings about a tenderness, a hope, a poetry somewhat uncommon for this choreographer and gives birth to a sensual and magical pas-de-deux. In complete contrast is the women’s dance. Crazy and disordered, fast and violent, as if these women are incapable of controlling their emotions, mastering their feelings... The work ends in a ritual from which gushes forth life. The dance heightens, the geometric figures intersect, interrelate, reorganise themselves. A beautiful work for eight dancers, which at one point offers a pas-de-deux of immeasurable sensitivity and strength danced by Yoona Crals and Sergio Cruz. Jean-Marie Gourreau ... With “Les Vitalités Obscures”*, Philippe Tréhet presents us a personal and accomplished work. A reflection on life and the meeting of two worlds, one masculine the other feminine, it takes us on a voyage to the core of dance and all its elements. To a musical score by Jean-Jacques Schmidley, the 8 dancers move about the centre of a simple décor representing the chessboard of life where each detail has its importance and usefulness. The floor, strewn with dust, marks its imprint on the bodies of the dancers while the lighting reconstructs the space by a remarkably planned interplay of shadow and light. We cannot stay insensitive to Philippe Tréhet’s style. At the same time aesthetic and movement conscious, he uses a wide range of energies, creating a personal, mature atmosphere, and achieving a deep reflection upon the state of human relationships. The dancers, like living sculptures, find their stability in a game of counterbalance. The bodies extend, becoming one form. The life repeats, the movements become instinctive, expressing defiance and sensuality. Simple accessories such as a pair of trousers or an eiderdown manipulated with precision and a richness of movement, create an air of ritual apt to Philippe Tréhet and add to the poeticness of the message. The choreography gradually organizes itself then subdivides, the solos evolve into duets, the duets into more structured group work. The movements become more musical, the rhythm changes to a rapid flow and the bodies are liberated in a constantly regenerating harmony. Dorian Crétey and Nadia Debuf, recent winners of the Paris International Dance Competition, along with Sergio Cruz, Yoona Crals and Patrice Leroy, astonish with their remarkable jumps, lifts and floor work. While it is difficult to analyse Philippe Tréhet’s work rationally, in respect of its rich symbolism and creative metaphors, we can still take real pleasure in being transported by both the visual aspect and the extreme sensitivity of his message. He unites aesthetics and emotion, deliberately plays with contradiction and accents the poetry of solos and duets against the choreography of the group, like an orchestra conductor, bringing into play at each moment, the light and shade, the dream and the reality, the truth and derision. By an essence of movement, seemingly simple yet passionate and his desire to dig deeper into the knowledge of others, Philippe Tréhet gives homage to life, to inner search and to our human state in all its sincerity and fragility. * Obscure vitality Jérôme Frilley Contrast of the dancers’ black and white costumes, of male and female, the shadow and light in which they evolve, alternating movements slow and fast, the feelings that these movements express... all is contrast even down to the paradoxical title “Vitalités Obscures”*... The dancers magnificently interpret these successive moments of the human condition, punctuating distress by way of poignant postures and slow changes of position, their joy and vitality by wild chases and perfectly timed group sequences, the occasion to demonstrate, as if there was any need, their perfect mastering of dance technique... Bernard Perrot First the silence of an audience deafened by so much emotional shock. Then the outbreak of applause, giving free rein to enthusiasm after an hour and twenty minutes of enormous intensity. On a floor covered in golden sand and light, the dancers lived out the torments and joys of the human soul, the harmony and the tragic density of the human relationship, as if to better underline not only that man is dust and will return to dust, but also that he is animated by a divine light, the making of all his splendour and his dignity. Literally fascinating ! Anne Liberge