Choreographer Martin Harriague shares how he adapted Black Pulp, a sensual and provocative choreography, to suit the taste of the Indian audience
Black Pulp was originally created for four dancers but it has been adapted into a duet now by the choreographer Martin Harriague. He presented a show inspired by famous American pulp magazines at FICCI auditorium recently. It was the opening performance of second edition of the Indo-French contemporary dance festival, DanSe DialogueS, in Delhi. It was dark and explosive modern Grand pas de deux, for which Martin collaborated with Derrick Brown, an American beat poet, who wrote the words spoken throughout the piece, “At some point in the vanishing history of a couple, their home fades from a place of shelter to a museum of what once was...” About the theme of Black Pulp, Martin explained that “all my colleagues, my friends and I were facing an uncontrollable scam where we were being forced to leave, to be separated. Friendships and love relationships have ended because of something you can’t control. This terrible situation, the loss of a job, of friends and of a lover inspired me a lot for Black Pulp. I had the desire to express my anger and sadness but at the same time deliver a message of hope.”
Black Pulp is a piece about love, loss, about how you can fall so down you see no future. It is a dark piece but full of hope. It tells how you can stand up and be even stronger after a loss, how you can forgive after someone hurts you, how you can let go from painful memories. Behind every challenge, life gifts you with a better knowledge of yourself and the ability to overcome your own limits. In a way, everything is possible when you believe in yourself!
Martin started classical and contemporary dancing at the age of 19. He danced with the Ballet Biarritz, the Ballet National de Marseille and NoordNederlandseDans (Netherlands). Currently associated with KCDC in Israël, he is also directing Xin, his own company based in Bordeaux. Parallel to his dancing career, Martin also choreographs his own work, directs video clips and write his own music.Taking risks with movement, finding an identity in it, playing with a lot of dynamics within the movement as well as in the musicality, combining the use of control, release and explosiveness, form founding principles of Martin Harriague’s work.
Organised by the Embassy of France in India/Institut Français en Inde and the Alliance Française network, DanSe DialogueS feature French companies and Franco-Indian collaborations touring seven cities (Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Trivandrum, Hyderabad and Bengaluru) to present their productions, alongside Indian dance companies. It will also showcase masterclasses given by choreographers and video screenings of French and Indian dance performances.
In the wake of the first successful edition in 2011 and the recently concluded festival of France, Bonjour India 2013, the French Embassy has associated with recognised dance professionals throughout the country and reiterated its expertise in organising countrywide performing arts festivals. Enlarging its scope to seven cities, this year’s programme is designed to nurture the strong bonds established with India in the field of contemporary dance. DanSe DialogueS aims to create interest in French and Indian contemporary and alternative dance practices and to participate in the evolution of the Indian contemporary dance scene by fostering exchanges and meetings between professionals of both countries.
With about 80 companies touring regularly worldwide, France’s contemporary dance scene is recognised for its diversity and quality. In India, while classical dances are greatly developed and strongly rooted, the contemporary dance scene is also transforming traditional codes to give birth to a new choreographic vocabulary. Given this immense potential, the objective for DanSe DialogueS is to make it sustainable by setting up a close partnership between India and France. In this framework, the focus of this second edition will be on Indo-French collaborative projects where the dialogue between the two countries takes the form of “transmission.” The first part of the festival consists of two projects for which renowned French choreographers, Mourad Merzouki and David Rolland, worked closely with Indian dancers during artistic residencies in order to create an Indian version of their performances. The second part of the festival aims to showcase the current trends from both the French and Indian dance scene by programming several renowned companies. Black Pulp by Xin Company was a part of that.
“For our tour to India, I decided to come back to a duet version, which is less abstract. I danced together with a female dancer whom I recently met in Israel. Therefore it was truly a new casting, a new format. Moreover, I had to adapt the piece for India since it was a very sensual choreography, sometimes provocative. I believe now the duet format is more adapted to Indian culture and perception of what a love relationship can be. I recently read the Ramayana and I was touched by all the feeling and emotional states Sita and Rama went through during this epic story and how they overcame difficulties,” shared Martin.