Gala

First there was the excellent ‘Disabled Theatre’, a delicate and poignant dance piece acted out by a troupe of actors with mental illnesses, and then there was ‘Cour d’Honneur’, which drew the audience into the performance. Now with ‘Gala’, Jérôme Bel continues his mission to test the boundaries of choreographed performance. In collaboration with actress Jeanne Balibar, Bel organised local dance workshops to recruit amateur dancers of all ages. To audition, they were invited them to present their own interpretations of dance as a medium – here, it’s not a question of knowing or not knowing how to dance, but of how to make something original and personal out of the experience. So movement allows the cast to express themselves through gesture alone, and dance becomes a means of self-revelation.