(Mes)dames

premiered at French Institute of Scotland, Edinburgh, UK. Vive le Fringe, Fringe Festival. 3 August 2018.

Choreographed to the music of Christine and the Queens and Perfume Genius, Constant Vigier’s response to the French motto ‘liberté, egalité, fraternité’ examines womanhood. Three dancers create portraits of the place of women in our society, from the happy housewife to the ambitious businesswoman. In the fight for gender equality, the line between choices and labels is very fine and contradictory gendered perspectives complicate where this line lies. Is the label ‘feminist’ more weight than power?

Review from Herald Scotland’s Mary Brennan: “What is especially striking and impressive about Vigier’s choreography is his way of setting balletic forms – all three dance on pointe throughout – to a sound score of music by Christine and the Queens and Perfume Genius. He avoids shackling the moves to the dictates of the songs, uses rhythm as a springboard for some fresh, innovative pointe-work and makes classical technique look fit for modern purposes.”

Choreographer : Constant Vigier.

Dancers : Sophie Martin, Roseanna Leney, Grace Paulley.

Costumes : Constant Vigier.

Music : Christine and the Queens (“Here”, “Saint-Claude”, “No Harm Is Done”, “Ugly-Pretty”, “Amazoniaque”) and Perfume Genius (“Queen”).