Dancers use provocative and abstract movements in "Points
de Fuite," a show being performed this weekend at UCLA’s Royce
Hall.
By Siddarth Puri
Daily Bruin Reporter
Just as the French are glad to die for love, they are willing to
break the rules of traditional dance in order to seduce the
audience into a world of passion and aesthetic expression.
Maguy Marin’s fugue-style performance, “Points de
Fuite” (“Points of escape”), is no exception.
In her latest piece, Marin explores the art of the musical fugue
in the choreographical sense. A fugue, a musical composition in
which a theme is repeated or imitated by successively entering
voices and developed in a continuous interweaving of voices, is
used to express Marin’s inner feelings about human
interactions.
Moving away from the more traditional aspects of dance, the
performance focuses on dealing with what space the dancers occupy,
how they react to the space, and how it changes when they move,
with the goal of heightening the audience’s perceptions
toward their own space.
“The performance is about the place, or space, we occupy
at a certain moment and how that place changes our perspective when
we move to another place,” Marin said.
The production, acting in the true sense of a fugue, starts out
with a few voices and dancers coming on stage. As they approach the
stage, the voices transform and change, constructing a perspective
of changing places and views. By sprinkling in certain musings by
French author Charles Péguy, Marin reinforces her theme of
occupying different spaces.
“I began this project with the idea of a fugue in
mind,” Marin said. “The fugue is a continuous
development, and by exploring and trying to grasp its basic ideas
of transformation, we can experience a place different from the
space we occupy.”
 Photos from UCLA Performing Arts Acclaimed choreographer
Maguy Marin brings her newest work, "Points de Fuite," to Royce
Hall this weekend.
The production’s principal dancers include Ulises Alvarez,
Preciosa Gil, Isaïas Jauregui, Slvie Pabiot, Thierry Partaud,
Livia Patrizi, Cathy Polo, Ennio Sammarco, Marcelo Sepulveda and
Brigitte Valverde.
Marin translates her musical idea of space into diverse
aesthetic musings, which are shown through the dancers’
interactions on stage. Even though the performance has a basic
plot, the abstract ideas are demonstrated through the
dancers’ movements, according to Marin; the dancers come on
stage as individuals but move to form a collective group, acting as
one dancer.
“By combing a simple plot with an abstract dance, Marin
will hopefully keep the audience intrigued throughout the
performance,” said Jesse Chien, a first-year art student.
“It’s like when an artist paints a simple picture that
has such profound meaning.”
Marin’s early works, including “Waterzooi” and
“Pour Anisi Dire,” also deal with human interaction and
emotion. She hopes to show the audience that even though many
people are in different places physically, they may be in the same
emotional state.
“My earlier works and this work are similar in the
abstract themes that they are centered around,” Marin said.
“In this one, the style of the dance is abstract ““ the
choreography is more and more moving away from simple techniques
and going toward more movement.”
While the piece was created in French, Marin translated the
entire performance into English for her U.S. audience.
“Even though the original piece was in French, knowing
Marin’s stylistic techniques, it will be refreshing to see a
completely equal translation,” said Jimmy Rollins, a
second-year French student.
Marin has a long history with choreography. Starting her company
in 1978, she established her career after winning first prize at
the International Choreographic Contests of Nyon (1997) and
Bagnolet (1978). Since then, her company has created 28
choreographed pieces performed in France and worldwide.
“I want the piece to speak for itself,” Marin said.
“Maybe it will entice something we can collectively feel
together. It describes a state of when we are living in our own
space ““ even if it’s different from everyone
else’s ““ but we can still experience and connect with
someone who is in a different place.”
THEATER: Tickets to “Points de
Fuite” are available at the UCLA Central Ticket Office.
Student tickets are $14 and general admission is $30-$45. The
performances are Friday at 8 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.
For more information call (310) 825-2101.