"Tu" by Compagnie Étant Donné / photo courtesy of TRK
Theatre Raymond Kabbaz presents an evening of contemporary dance by Compagnie Étant Donné, with TU, an exercise of view, on Friday, April 5, at 7:30 p.m. Étant Donné explores dance as a conceptual art form, with performances that interpret the world through gesture, incorporating elements of independent film, Dadaism, literary theory and humor. Theatre Raymond Kabbaz is offering Culture Spot readers the chance to see the show for free. To be entered into a drawing for a pair of tickets, please email editor@culturespotla.com. Two winners will be selected.
TU (or “you”) features hooded dancers in a ghostly environment. Hoods hide the faces and expressions of figures who, ultimately, all walk the same path. An awakening reveals the differences behind everything that looks alike.
“In a nutshell, Compagnie Étant Donné explores concepts related to human communication,” says Pierre Leloup, Theatre Raymond Kabbaz director. “These contemporary dance pieces are gestural interpretations of the playground that is life, from the ridiculous to the sublime.”
Étant Donné will also perform En Aparté , a duet for the whole family (ages 6 and up) on Wednesday, April 3, at 7:30 p.m. This show explores the beauty, poetics and inspiration in daily life. The work reveals the unique in everything around us. Through the bodies of the performers, movement becomes dance, noise becomes song. Household events, like a shower and the cacophony of dishes, are transported into the marvelous. En Aparté translates roughly to “in separate.”
Founded in 1997 by classically trained dancers Frédérike Unger and Jérôme Ferron, Étant Donné is based in Rouen, France. Among the Company’s influences are Jim Jarmusch, Roland Barthes, Pierre Desproges, Sonic Youth and Peter Handke. Étant Donné (which roughly translates to “given”) takes its name from Marcel Duchamp’s last project, which he created in secrecy from 1946 to 1968. Generally credited as the first known art installation, Duchamp’s final work requires viewers to peek through peepholes to look at a plaster model of a naked woman in front of a waterfall.
Theatre Raymond Kabbaz is a non-profit institution dedicated to the promotion of art and culture in the West Los Angeles area. This 220-seat theatre welcomes multidisciplinary and multicultural shows. TRK’s mission is to be an open window on French and international cultures, as well as to inspire and sustain a lifelong appreciation for the arts.
Theatre Raymond Kabbaz at Le Lycee Francais de Los Angeles is located at 10361 W. Pico Blvd., LA 90064 (310-286-0553). To learn more about Theatre Raymond Kabbaz, please visit https://www.theatreraymondkabbaz.com. Adult tickets cost $25, student tickets $15, available at https://www.vendini.com/ticket-software.html?m=241d6077b39728479d58e072170e1c6f&t=tix.