Andy De Groat, une histoire post-moderne

To perpetuate the work of Andy De Groat: this is the mission that the young Centre chorégraphique international de nulle part (CCINP andy de Groat) has set itself. Red notes is the first show that the group has chosen to revive, twenty years after its final performances. Created in 1977, it is one of the emblematic pieces of Andy De Groat’s “American period”, so much so that he named his company Red Notes after moving to France a few years later. Danced to texts by Gertrude Stein and a score by Philip Glass, Red notes attests to Andy De Groat’s affinities with the post-modern and minimalist movement. While its structure is rigorous, the piece mixes amateurs and professionals, and young and old, as is often the case in the choreographer’s repertoire. To revive Red notes, the CCINP tasked a research group to examine the archive resources (notes, notations, photos, videos, and so on) –and to rediscover the “more natural body, free of narrative constraints” intended by Andy De Groat. The piece is presented as part of a programme comprising Fan dance and Rope dance translations.

Born in the United States, Andy De Groat (1947-2019) is a major choreographer from the latter half of the twentieth century. Initially associated with the director Robert Wilson, with whom he worked on Einstein on the Beach, he moved to France in 1982. With more than sixty productions to his name, he contributed to the development of contemporary dance on the major European stages, while at the same time working actively with amateurs and local dance schools. An exhibition in the spring of 2022, Andy De Groat, inspirations et libertés, looked back on the career of this extraordinary artist who entrusted his archives to the CN D. This exhibition was accompanied by regular events – performances, a round table, a workshop – all thanks to the commitment of the company, which now reviving the choreographer’s work.