In “L‘Homme rare” the French-Ivorian choreographer Nadia Beugré turns gender on its head. The five male dancers sashay sinuously across the stage – some in high-heeled shoes, some in backless costumes, mostly relatively naked. The choreography lives from dance techniques and styles that are generally seen as female. Like the funk carioca and the passinho, which are characterized by sweeping movements of the hips and pelvis.

While the performers’ faces remain hidden, Beugré’s piece sets up a game that entirely calls attributions of gender into questions and subjects the viewers to their own voyeurism. Themes of gender identity have always played an important role in Beugré’s work. With references to the slave markets of the Ivory Coast, in "L’Homme rare" she also considers the European view of Black physicality and examines how we all make judgements about other bodies.

All information: tanzfestivalrheinmain.de

Choreography: Nadia Beugré
Performance: Lucas Nicot, Vadel Guei, Daouda Keita, Nadim Bahsoun, Marius Moguiba
Lighting design, technical management: Anthony Merlaud
Music: Serge Gainsbourg, Lucas Nicot
Percussion: Obilo DRC
Outside eye: Faustin Linyekula
Production: Virginie Dupray

A production by Libr’arts and Studios Kabako, supported by Latitudes Contemporaines, in co-production with Kunstenfestivaldesarts, Théâtre de la Ville, Festival d‘Automne Paris, Montpellier Danse 2019 / 2020. Development residency at Agora, Cité internationale de la danse. Supported by Fondation BNP Paribas, CCN2, Centre Chorégraphique National de Grenoble, CCN d’Orléans, Kunstencentrum Vooruit, Musée de la Danse, Centre Chorégraphique National de Rennes et de Bretagne, BIT Teater garasjen, Théâtre de Nîmes. Supported by L‘échangeur CDCN Hauts-de France (Studio Libre), Château-Thierry and DRAC Occitanie – French Ministry of Culture and Communication. With the kind assistance of the Institut français and the French Ministry of Culture.

A project of the Tanzplattform Rhein-Main. The Tanzplattform Rhein-Main, a project of Künstler*innenhaus Mousonturm and Hessisches Staatsballett, is made possible by the Kulturfonds Frankfurt RheinMain and supported by the Cultural Office of the City of Frankfurt am Main, the Hessian Ministry of Science and Art and the Foundation Alliance [Aventis Foundation, BHF BANK Foundation, Crespo Foundation, Hans Erich and Marie Elfriede Dotter Foundation, Dr. Marfner Foundation, Stiftung Polytechnische Gesellschaft Frankfurt Main].