Trained in Mudra School in Brussels, Catherine Diverrès applied the techniques of José Limón, Merce Cunnigham and Alwin Nikolais before joining Dominique Bagouet in Montpellier. Shortly afterwards, her meeting with Kazuo Ohno, a leading figure in butoh, was the starting point of her choreographic journey: together with Bernardo Montet, Catherine Diverrès was selected for an Artist-in-Residence programme in Japan, where they made up their own language and created their first duo piece, Instance, in 1983. After they got back they founded DM Studio and from 1994 co-directed the ‘Centre chorégraphique national de Rennes et de Bretagne’, subsequently headed by Catherine Diverrès alone, from 1998 to June 2008.
Since then she has created a new company – D’Octobre association – with which she continues her work in creation, distribution and transmission.
This book follows her path over time, throughout her pieces. Photographs, writings and interviews of the choreographer or her collaborators – musicians and dancers – complete Irène Filiberti’s analysis. Selected from Catherine Diverrès’ archives, these documents provide background for her various works and projects. Also, an alphabet primer brings together notes, words and texts by the choreographer. Finally, Claudia Palazzolo tells us about the Cantieri project developed in Sicily, which led to a creation in 2002. This book is a sensitive analysis showing the ephemeral art of the stage and passing memories that artistic movements leave in every one of us.