Dance finds ‘sea legs’ at Montpellier Danse 2024
au bord de la mer, on the cote d’azure, in nice The expression, to “find your sea legs” feels apt for dance right now. The term refers to the human body’s struggle to adjust to the pitching-and-rocking of a ship in motion. It’s a jolting loss of balance; it’s the absence of terra firma. Four ...
Strangers-on-a-Tram meet at Montpellier’s Hotel ‘Richer de Belleval’
You’ve heard of the Hitchcock thriller, Strangers on a Train (1951), in French, L’Inconnu du Nord-Express, starring Robert Walker and Farley Granger, based on a novel by Patricia Highsmith. But have you heard of “Strangers on a Tram”? I hadn’t either, not until my visit to the beautiful, historic and aesthetic city of Montpellier in ...
A shuffle away from democracy in prescient ‘Shiraz’ at Montpellier Danse
It is nothing less than a confounding political moment in which to write about “Shiraz,” a dauntingly brilliant dance performance seen last night at Montpellier Danse’s Hanger Theatre performed by a troupe directed by a young choreographer, Armin Hokmi. The Iranian-born, Berlin-based dance maker made very clear that his work was inspired by the suppressed ...
To south of France, for ‘Montpellier Danse’
Launching just now, in its 44th year, a summer dance festival known for edgy, forward-looking content in an ancient, historic city is Montpellier Danse. Montpellier, France’s eighth-largest city, gleams with Mediterranean sun bathing its beautiful, walkable historic center. This year, for the first time ever, artsmeme will attend the dance festival. At right, from choreographer ...