LE CHAT NOIR

During the Fin de Siècle, Le Chat Noir was a popular entertainment venue among artistes, cabaret performers and composers in the bohemian Montmartre quarter of Paris. It is also the inspiration behind an enthralling evening of dance that transports the audience on an exhilarating cultural journey.

The four resident Scapino choreographers created pieces exploring the theme of the bohemian in the rich French musical repertoire: the free-thinking, passionate artist, intellectual and romantic who leads a nomadic, licentious life. During the Fin de Siècle the arts were thought of as a mirror of the soul, an idea that infuses French music of the 20th century. From Prélude to Nocturne to Chanson, from Erik Satie to Barbara, from Maurice Ravel to Edith Piaf and Jacques Brel.

In late 19th century Paris, bohemianism gave artists a way of escaping from the emptiness and superficiality of bourgeois Victorian life. The affluent, eccentric composer Erik Satie chose an impoverished lifestyle and performed alongside many likeminded artistes in Le Chat Noir.

Today, at the emergence of the 21st century when we face an era of financial decadence, are we witnessing the emergence of a new kind of bohemianism?

Choreography: Marco Goecke, Ed Wubbe and Felix Landerer
Music: Erik Satie, Claude Debussy, Jacques Brel, Edith Piaf, and others
Playing: February 2013 - May 2013

All dates and venues here: www.scapinoballet.nl/en/pages/playlist_7

photo by Vincent Mentzel