Contemporary Dance: Three creations by Pierre Rigal and his Compagnie Dernière Minute of Toulouse
Where:100 Broad Street, Atlanta, GA 30303
When: Saturday, October 27, 2012 at 5:00 p.m.
Performance: Standards
Where: Rialto Center for the Arts (80 Forsyth Street NW, Atlanta, GA 30303)
When: Sunday, October 28, 2012 at 5:00 p.m.
Performance: The Standing Man
Where: The Goat Farm Arts Center (1200 Foster St. NW, Atlanta, GA 30318)
When: Monday, October 29, 2012 at 8:30 p.m.
After dazzling audiences during France-Atlanta 2011 with the sensational urban creation, Asphalte, the Cie Dernière Minute returned to Atlanta with an even greater array and outreach of creative flow.
Elevate Atlanta 
In partnership with sister cities Atlanta and Toulouse, Pierre Rigal and the Cie Dernière Minute hit the streets, presenting a series of impromptu dance creations in public spaces that surprised and enthtralled the public. This creative intervention was part of the closing ceremony of Elevate Atlanta on October 27.
Standards
The Cie Dernière Minute presented the U.S. debut of Pierre Rigal’s newest creation, Standards at the Rialto Center for the Arts, offering a bold statement on the assimilation of social codes and collective identity through the universal languages of hip hop, music and technology.
The performance was also an occasion for master classes at local schools and dance studios.
The Standing Man
A lonely man, lying, inscribed in a green electric rectangle. Undefined space and time. A growing heart, an attempting body. Lifting mechanism, standing up, moving forward on sound fragments. Using head, pelvis, or feet. From deadlocks to resolutions, he’s trying, making mistakes, falling, venturing again, always pushing back further the species’ limits.
Between Odyssey, a philosophic tale and a science fiction story, “The Standing Man” aims to follow the human evolution framework. Accompanied by sound and video effects created on the spot, one man, lying on the floor, will tell the long story of his transition from a lying position to a standing one. Like a man hanging from the ground who dreams of walking in the air, he dances the animal-man, the individual-man and the social-man at the same time, showing three versions of a standing attempt. What’s about life? What about evolution? So many questions that trouble the adventure of this tightrope walker creature who’s named man, sad clown of all times. Quite simply.
This solo performance by Pierre Rigal, presented in partnership with gloATL, opened the Tanz Farm contemporary dance series that will continue through May 2013.
Pierre Rigal
Renowned for his original and progressive creations, French choreographer Pierre Rigal is a perfect example of the up-and-coming young talent gaining respect and popularity in France. After studying economics and mathematics at the University of Barcelona and cinema at the Ecole Supérieure d’Audiovisuel de Toulouse, his transition into contemporary dance was influenced by meeting choreographers and directors. In 2002, he joined a dance company with the choreographer Gilles Jobin. After founding the Compagnie Dernière Minute in November 2003, Pierre Rigal choreographed and produced The Standing Man (2003), and Arrêts de Jeu (2006) with the director Aurélien Bory. His solo, Press debuted in 2008 as international Associate of the Gate Theater in London. His most recent piece, Micro was introduced in January 2011 at the Théâtre Vidy-Lausanne in Switzerland. His presentation of Asphalte at the Rialto as part of France-Atlanta 2011 was met with raves, and the Atlanta community is excited to welcome him back.
Pierre Rigal Photo Credit: Sylvain Gripoix
Standards and The Standing Man Photo Credits: Pierre Grosbois
With the support of: