During the past two months the French artist, Anne de Beaufort and South African choreographer, Lliane Loots collaborated to produce a contemporary art and dance theatre exhibition, Dance…and tell your territories. Shared concerns in both these artists oeuvre are movement and territory, and this resulted in a dialogue between painting and dance theatre.
Anne de Beaufort's paintings take their cue from movement and dance. Reminiscent of action painting they encapsulate and are made in-situ with performers – and are creative interpretations of the movement in front of the artist. For her visit to Durban for this project she researched contemporary South African dance, and she initiated a dialogue with Flatfoot Dance Company and Siwela Sonke Dance Theatre.
For this project the dialogue between painting and dance is based on the shared territories theme. The participants in this collaboration (visual artist, choreographer and performers) initiated a workshop process asking themselves about the spaces and territories (emotionally and physically) one occupy on an everyday basis, the relationships of shared territories as well as the limits these territories have. From these questions, the dance became various movements, shapes and rhythms, choreographed or improvised. These movements were captured by Anne de Beaufort – either on paper or translucent sheets.
From this inter-disciplinary dialogue, the dance work The Earth has not forgotten us was born; a culmination of this process of interdisciplinary dialogue and shared experience. The two-dimensional works produced during this workshop process will be on display at the gallery. During the performances at the gallery Anne de Beaufort will also be working and producing pieces at this time.
Anne de Beaufort started a career as geographer and urban planner. Space and territories have always been a concern in her artistic work. She has exhibited since 1995 in galleries and cultural centers in various French regions, including the International Geography Festival in 1999. She has also initiated and participated in performances with dancers and musicians. In1997 she started a contemporary art centre in Grenoble and acted as director for the past three years.
Lliane Loots is the artistic director and founder of Flatfoot Dance Company, a company that is now in its fifth year of existence. She has been guest choreographer for both Siwela Sonke Dance Theatre and the Fantastic Flying Fish Dance Company. She was nominated in 1999 for an FNB Vita award for choreography and was the recipient of the FNB Vita special dance award in 1999 for her dance journalism for the Mercury.
This project is supported both by A.F.A.A., the French Association for Artistic Action and the Grenoble City Council, Anne de Beaufort’s home city in France.
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