CLARISSE ROUD
.MORPH.
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The recent events turned our world upside down, had redefined granted notions such as normality or routines, forced us to pause as well as to surrender to the unknown.
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Me and you, we are human beings involved in the evolution of society, part of democratic culture, seeking for individuality. We are slowly adjusting and adapting to a completely new world, slowly coming back to our “normality” and routines within a very highly controlled, secured and imposed new norms to our living. We are living consciously, possibly obeying strictly to those new rules, and having to rethink our everyday. What is freedom ? Freedom of actions felt restrained, freedom of thoughts felt directed, and freedom of movement felt confined. Where is freedom ? When every single choice, wishes and desires are monitored, dictated and sometimes forbidden. Who is free ? When it seems that the only way forward is to comply with the new rules, and accept new norms.
"Morph" is one's metamorphosis; nurturing from a pause to grow in safety, then – and only then – to disperse, change, improve, own one's freedom.
.Concept.
I am free, the same way you and we are. How ? I am free in my choices. I decided what I wanted to do with all the free time I had, I owned that time, so did most of us, highly succeed doing so. Letting go of everyday life stress and pressure to understand what deep down matters and appreciate simplicity, finding empowerment within ourself. I am free to think and analyse the surrounding events, whether I see the pandemic as real or as conspiracy, whether I agree or disagree with how my country dealt and is dealing with the crisis and its regulations. I am free today to choose whether I want to apply the regulations and the safety rules contributing to reduce the virus spreading, but I am also free to fight for my civil rights which possibly clashes with wearing a mask, practise social distancing, advices on hygiene and restriction on travels.
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I am free to keep my faith in the world and believe that we will make it united and devoted through the crisis, but I am also free to give up. I am free to take responsibility for my actions and my beliefs. Within this very unique, frustrating and contradictory situation or time in history, I am an individual owning my freedom.
.Creative Process.
I would approach the creative process with the company using a lot of communication and openness around the theme of freedom to offer a safe and genuine environment to explore, share and to be vulnerable. This not about judging what is right or wrong, this process and this work is an individual statement from all the artists involved in this journey, through the use of body language to claim our freedom. Through Clarisse's artistry and using a very picturale tread, we will set choreography materials..
I picture several acts to represent our journey pre/during/post Lockdown. I want to use a rope tying up the dancers, confronting the thought of blockade but as well as to represent how one’s actions impact or echoes to others, We are all going through a crisis and unity is maybe the answer. I also want to picture the online world we had so much to rely on during lockdown, and place big squares in the black/white box with dancers evolving behind making a parallel to our life via screens.
Regarding music, I want the cast to create it; I’m willing to use the “touch me” technology to create sound (sound is created by the touch and its intensity in between individuals), and see where this is taking us. Also I need to know if you both feel confortable for static plans topless?
.My Work.
I describe my work as very organic, very pure, very thought. My work is defined by its very complex architecture; technical playing with a lot of textures, oppositions and off balance concepts, but very much storytelling. I commit as an artist to create a powerful instant of performance that is meaningful for the cast, and to which audiences can relate to.