Dance

California-born Carolyn Carlson is an internationally renowned choreographer who has wowed audiences with works that are landmarks in the history of dance. She arrived in France in 1971 as the beneficiary of Alwin Nikolais’s ideas on movement, composition and teaching, and from 1974-1980 served as Etoile-Choregraphe at the Paris Opera Ballet. For the last four decades she has played an integral role in the birth of French contemporary dance, or as she terms it, ‘visual poetry’. The creator of more than 100 original dance pieces, she received the first ever Golden Lion given to a choreographer by the Venice Biennale in 2006. Today she is the director of the National Choreographic Centre Roubaix Nord- Pas-de-Calais, and the Atelier de Paris-Carolyn Carlson, which offers master classes and support to young dancers and choreographers. Carlson first performed her now legendary solo piece “Blue Lady” in 1983 at the Teatro La Fenice in Venice. Inspired by Venice, and becoming a mother at 40, it was such a huge success that she continued to perform it for ten years. Fascinated by onnagata, the traditional Japanese dance where a man plays the role of a woman, she handed the piece over to Finnish dancer Tero Saarinen, who first performed it at the Lyon Dance Biennale in 2008. Saarinen began his dance career with the Finnish National Ballet in 1985. In 1996 he founded his own group, and has gained critical acclaim and received numerous international awards for his outstanding performances, including a Pro Finlanda Medal in 2005, the most prestigious recognition given to artists in Finland. Charismatic with an angular body that has been shaped by different dance disciplines, Saarinen’s exceptional movements are further enhanced by swirling fabrics, and the skilful use of hats and venetian blinds. Carlson’s fascinating self portrait, spanning childhood to old age is illuminated to perfection and accompanied by the rhythmical music of Rene Aubry.