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"10000 Gestures" by Boris Charmatz

Photo : kenzawadimoff

Apr 9–12

"10000 Gestures" by Boris Charmatz

Forget synchronized choreography; this performance pushes dancers to create a wild, non-repetitive vocabulary where no two gestures are alike. It is a stunning display of human movement that feels both chaotic and carefully crafted, perfect for anyone looking to be truly surprised by dance.

Théâtre de la Ville - Sarah Bernhardt (Paris 4th)

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About

Boris Charmatz brings his piece 10000 gestes to the Théâtre de la Ville - Sarah Bernhardt, featuring a group of twenty dancers in a compelling performance. Each performer executes 400 unique movements, specifically designed to never be repeated or mirrored by another, completely excluding symmetry from the stage. This work examines the impermanence of dance through a continuous flow of non-replicable physical acts. Performances run from Friday, April 9 to Monday, April 12, 2027, with a running time of one hour per show. Ticket prices range from 17 to 41 euros.


400 unique instructions per performer, never to be repeated. From this framework, Boris Charmatz has imagined a "forest of gestures" carried by a community of dancers with sensitive engagement. 10000 Gestures is a unique adventure, a kind of bubbling of choreographic ideas that sweeps the spectator along. For Charmatz, it is about paying homage to the impermanence of an art as much as to the strength of the bodies on stage, here about twenty performers.
"It will be a matter of exploring the possibilities that a gesture is never accomplished by another, and that if 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 25 dancers come into contact, each nevertheless performs a gesture differentiated from the other by excluding any symmetrical movement: in this piece, it is impossible to shake hands," summarizes the choreographer.

This live-performed collection, each representation of which is unique, is part of an artistic journey where the past nourishes the present of creation. Boris Charmatz has thus "occupied" museums, choreographed the city, and reconnected with ancestral forms such as the round and the circle. With each of his proposals, he puts his know-how back into play. 10000 Gestures is, in his eyes, a rain of movements. A dance without end.

Philippe Noisette

Duration: 1h

Category:

  • Dance
Our take on this event

At the Théâtre de la Ville - Sarah Bernhardt, Boris Charmatz explores the boundaries of choreography with 10000 gestes. The premise is striking: a cast of approximately twenty dancers performs a sequence of 400 distinct movements each. Within this environment, the choreography relies on complete differentiation; no performer executes a movement already performed by another, making symmetric contact entirely impossible. This approach creates a dense, ever-changing forest of physical ideas.

This production serves as a tribute to the fleeting nature of dance and the raw strength of the human body. By strictly avoiding repetition, Charmatz captures the essence of movement without end. Each live performance stands as a singular event, reflecting the choreographer's ongoing interest in reinventing artistic forms through a process that values the present moment over structured patterns.

The event takes place from Friday, April 9 to Monday, April 12, 2027. Shows are scheduled for 20:00 on Friday, Saturday, and Monday, and at 15:00 on Sunday. The performance lasts for one hour. Tickets are available for purchase at prices between 17 and 41 euros.

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