In 1980, Marie Chouinard discovered the book Mouvements by Henri Michaux (1899-1984). In 64 pages of India-ink drawings, a 15-page poem and an afterword, Mouvements presents multiform figures that Marie Chouinard took pleasure in reading literally, left to right and page by page, as a choreographic score. She then proceeded to decrypt the great artist’s drawings and set dance to these “movements of multiple inkjets, a celebration of blots, arms moving up and down the scales.”
The book’s transition to dance has been done “word for word”, for even the poem in the middle of the book, as well as its afterword, are included in the choreography.
The drawings are projected in the background, allowing spectators to do a simultaneous personal reading of the Michaux score. Echoing the visual presentation of a white page with black drawings, performers dressed in black dance on a white floor.

Noetic by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui
Noetic explores man’s instinctive need to structure every detail of our existence, and our longing to break free of the rules and discover what lies beyond them. The dancer´s movements in Noetic are mechanical and automated in appearance. Larbi wants to show the audience how we create structure for and to one another. They build, change and deconstruct reality.
The word “noetic” comes from the Greek word noetikos which means “intuitive mind” or “inner ability”. Edgar Mitchell, the American astronaut, who founded The Institute of Noetic Sciences dedicated to research the role of consciousness in human evolution, revived the use of the word.
The set is designed by widely acclaimed artist Antony Gormley. It will give the dancers both bodily extensions and the constructive elements to create a potential architecture for individual and collective action. The harmonic and emotional music is composed by Szymon Brzóska, with traditional Japanese music by percussionist Shogo Yoshii and vocals by Swedish singer Miriam Andersén.

PROGRAM BOOK (french version)