Company Retouramont - Vertical Dance

Bridges to the Unknown - Crossing art with science, in partnership with the Lisbon Tourism Association, presents the French dance company Retouramont, bringing to Portugal two vertical dance performances. “Matière Noire” and “Calirière Urbaine” will take place on July 15th, 16th and 17th, in the outdoor space of Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown and Pilar 7 Bridge Experience, in Lisbon.

Retouramont is a pioneer company in the creation of vertical dance performances, where choreographic movement is explored in different surfaces with vertical and spatial supports. For the artists, cities are seen as unlimited spaces to create movements and choreographies, able to be transformed in artistic stages, where body and architecture achieves new dimensions. 

The two performances by Retouramont are unique experiences, which propose to the public an approximation to the city, giving it more value, as well as providing a new insight regarding its arquitectonic and urbanistic patrimony. The Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown will host a single performance of “Matière Noire” on July 15th and Pilar 7 Bridge Experience will host three performances of “Clairière Urbaine”, on July 15th, 16th and 17th.

Matière Noire
July 15th, 9:30pm, @ outdoor space of Champalimaud Centre of the Unknown

The performance “Matière Noire” (Dark Matter, in English) creates a conjunction between light sources which enters in a dialogue between the surfaces of the architecture of the Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown. When the dancers are in sight, the walls unfold the consequence of their movements. The shades of their bodies are projected, in a narrative that seems to challenge the laws of gravity and their anatomical shapes. The public will be able to create different narratives, combining what is observed from the dancers movements, with the projection of the shades, which seem to follow their own pathways. This performance will result from an integration between visual perception and movement.

The performance will be followed by an open discussion with the public, with the participation of the creative director of Retouramont company, Fabrice Guillot, and the neuroscientist from Champalimaud Foundation, Zachary F. Mainen, moderated by journalist Sara Sá. This will be a space for discussion about the creative process behind the performance and reflection on how the brain integrates sensory information (what we see or what we hear) with our own perception of movements. The conversation will be held in English.

Free tickets

The event is free, but registration is required! Register here.

Clairière Urbaine
July 15th and 16th, 6:30pm @ Pilar 7 Bridge Experience 
July 17th, 12pm @ Pilar 7 Bridge Experience 

The Pilar 7 Bridge Experience will host the performance “Clairière Urbaine” (Urbain Clearance, in English), which proposes a dialogue between the body and the architectonic and urbanistic shapes. A built-in structure unfolds in parallel with the movements of the dancers, giving a new life and shape to the building and architectural context. 

The dancers flow between the different existent materials and integrate the local architecture in their choreography, establishing a proximal relationship with the monument of 25 de Abril Bridge. New trajectories are created, during a performance where the urbain space seems to become more clear and tangible. The dancers and their movements offer a new interpretation of the space, conducted by the relation between bodies and movement. The choreography creates a different perspective, in a way that Pilar 7 Bridge Experience and the surrounding buildings, will be transformed in the main plan, the stage of the performance.

Tickets

Tickets for this performance are available directly at Pilar 7 Bridge Experience or online in this link.

Tickets include access to visit Pilar 7 Experience and the dance performance on the selected day. There is no separate ticket to the performance.

Fabrice Guillot (artistic director and choreographer of Retouramont Company)

“Which discipline can offer us the capacity to free ourselves from gravity, to cross all the physical and regulatory limits of our cities?”
“Vertical dance reveals the potentialities of our cities, it makes visible a total spatial freedom. This practice opens a new relationship to space, to other arts, it can also be used as a medium to question society.“

Fabrice Guillot is the artistic director and choreographer of Retouramont Company. His exploration of vertical movement started with high-level mountain climbing, where he was able to experiment different forms of equilibrium and movement in space. His creative process requires a multidisciplinary practice, working frequently with architects and sculptors. His choreographies reflect the transversal dialogue between body and space, often proposing a change in both perspectives.

More information about Retouramont company and its performances

https://retouramont.com/
https://retouramont.com/en/matiere-noire-se-projeter-sur-la-ville-2/
https://retouramont.com/en/clairiere-urbaine-2/