Boris Charmatz Brings His Mad, Myriad Motions to NYC

Boris Charmatz, a favorite choreographer in France for his dancing in museums, has come up with an idea for non-stop dance. In his new piece, 10000 Gestures, each action is different—no repeats. This week, a horde of more than 20 dancers invades New York City’s NYU Skirball Center, each of them cramming a thousand gestures into one hour. They seem to be exorcising them—shaking, scratching, jabbing, huddling—as though they can’t get rid of them fast enough.

If you look at it historically, it’s kind of like Yvonne Rainer’s Trio A on speed, amplified by 20 people. (One of the things Trio A is known for is never repeating a phrase.) Mozart’s Requiem in D minor gives this manic display of outbursts a certain grandiosity. Charmatz calls the piece “an ode to the impermanence of the art of dance.” Catch it while you can, on September 27 and 28. This North American premiere is part of the Crossing the Line Festival, a series sponsored by the French Institute Alliance Française.