Contre-nature
Compagnie de Chaillot & Rachid Ouramdane
The French choreographer and artistic director of the Chaillot-Théatre national de la Danse in Paris, Rachid Ouramdane, develops a new formal language between acrobatics and dance with his choreographic works. Driven by the question of what shapes us, Ouramdane and ten dancers and acrobats embark on a journey into the inner self. He evokes childhood and growing older. With elements reminiscent of a bygone era, he imagines ‘how we carry on, influenced by other people who are no longer there, these ghosts that accompany us’. ‘Contre-nature’ is about the relationship to this inner landscape of memories. Immersed in a dense sea of fog, the performers meet on stage and their movements and different styles alternate lightly between the air and the ground.
Duration: ca. 1 h
Rachid Ouramdane has been the director of the Chaillot – Théâtre national de la Danse since 2021. He discovered dance at the age of 12 through hip-hop and went on to take classical and modern dance lessons. Rachid Ouramdane’s works are often characterised by personal accounts and intimate experiences, from which he develops his choreographies: Refugee children, victims of torture or natural disasters, amateur athletes, etc. Rachid Ouramdane collaborates with circus artists, authors, visual artists and musicians for his pieces, commissions and practical workshops. Since 2008, the Chaillot-Théâtre national de la Danse has been the first national theatre dedicated exclusively to dance productions. Under the direction of Rachid Ouramdane, the Chaillot presents over 60 artists from all over the world every year and offers numerous activities for educators to promote the connection between artists and audiences. Ouramdane places diversity and hospitality at the centre of the institution’s work.
