Photo : ©Rahi Rezvani
"Thrice" by Damien Jalet
Air, stone, and water transform into kinetic poetry through a unique collaboration between a visionary choreographer and an iconic contemporary artist. This immersive triptych captures the raw beauty of human resilience, casting dancers as living sculptures against breathtaking visuals. Prepare for a performance that feels less like a stage show and more like a fever dream brought to life.
Chaillot - Théâtre national de la Danse (Paris 16th)
About
Choreographer Damien Jalet presents Thrice at Chaillot – Théâtre national de la Danse, a triptych exploring air, matter, and water through movement. This one-hour performance showcases an immersive collaboration with visual artist JR, offering a unique look at nature and human resilience. The show runs from January 22 to January 29, 2027, with tickets ranging from 19 to 46 euros. Audiences can participate in a meet-the-artists session following the performance on Wednesday, January 27, 2027. The venue is located in the 16th arrondissement at 1, place du Trocadéro et du 11 novembre.
Structured as a triptych, Thrice brings together pieces created at different times and united here for the first time at the invitation of Guro Nagelhus Schia, a former performer with the Carte Blanche company. Gusts, Médusés, and Brise-lames each explore a natural element—air, matter, and water—through the dancers' movement. On stage, the performers transform the space by unrolling carpets that gradually become a set, like a passage to another world.
In Gusts, the dancers' three bodies seem carried by the wind and the sound of Norwegian musician Bendik Giske's haunting saxophone. The movements are rapid, circular, and almost unpredictable, like gusts of wind. In Médusés, inspired by the Medusa myth and created in 2013 at the Louvre Museum, six dancers play with the idea of petrification by sight. Their bodies alternate between rigidity and fluidity, like living sculptures seeking to free themselves from a powerful spell.
Finally, Brise-lames immerses us in a sub-aquatic universe where the movements evoke waves, recalling human resilience and the need for solidarity. For this commission, originally placed before Covid to Damien Jalet for nine dancers from the Paris Opera Ballet, the costumes, video images, and scenography were created by the famous French artist JR, accompanied by music composed by the celebrated Japanese pianist Koki Nakano.
The show fits perfectly into the universe of Damien Jalet, a choreographer known for his collaborations with cinema, music, and visual arts, notably with Kohei Nawa in Vessel or Planet (wanderer), both hosted at Chaillot - Théâtre national de la danse. For Damien Jalet, long associated with Chaillot, dance becomes a universal language, capable of narrating our relationship with the world and others.
Delphine Goater
Duration: 1h
Category:
- Dance
- Music
- Meet the artists after the performance: Wednesday, January 27, 2027
Our take on this event
Thrice is a multifaceted choreographic work that brings together three distinct pieces by Damien Jalet. Through Gusts, Médusés, and Brise-lames, the dancers navigate the elemental forces of wind, stone, and sea. The stage design, created in collaboration with renowned visual artist JR, uses unfolding carpets to reshape the environment, accompanied by the musical compositions of Bendik Giske and Koki Nakano. The performance highlights themes of human solidarity and our physical relationship with the world.
The show is scheduled from January 22 to January 29, 2027. Performance times vary: 19:30 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays; 17:00 on Saturdays; and 15:00 on Sundays. Each session lasts 1 hour. Ticket prices are set between 19 and 46 euros. Visitors attending the performance on Wednesday, January 27, 2027, are invited to stay for a discussion with the artistic team after the show.
Damien Jalet, a choreographer long associated with Chaillot – Théâtre national de la Danse, continues his tradition of interdisciplinary collaboration here. This work serves as an exploration of movement as a universal language, building upon his previous acclaimed projects presented at this institution.
