Dance performance explores contradictions of war

Pierre Rigal’s ‘Theatre of Operations’ to be performed by nine Korean dancers


French dancer and choreographer Pierre Rigal thinks any war is full of contradictions.

It’s a situation where acts of sacrifice and destruction contradict one another. Soldiers are told to be brave and often asked to give up their own lives, while ordered kill the enemies.

And bravery, too, is almost a contradiction in terms. “Courage means a strong desire to live taking the form of readiness to die,” English writer Gilbert K. Chesterton once said.

Rigal’s upcoming piece, “Theatre of Operations,” explores exactly that. In warfare, a “theater” is an area where important military events occur. A theater of operations is a sub-area within any theater of war, where military operations take place. 

Rigal, who is currently working with nine Korean dancers for the upcoming run of the show, has been particularly interested in the multiple meanings of both words ― “theater” and “operations.”

“As we all know, theater also refers to the form of performing art,” he said through a local PR agency. “The word ‘operation’ also refers to a lot of things in many fields, including science and math. I wanted to incorporate all of these meanings into this piece.”

Rigal said he wanted the audience to be reminded of war soldiers by looking at the dancers in the upcoming show. Inspired by wars and their contradictions, the show features the antagonistic relationship between cosmos and chaos, delving deep into both beauty and brutality of the human civilization. Rigal also includes themes of science and technology ― as well as evolution and degeneration ― into the piece, often featuring the dancers as hybrid beings of robots, scientists and animals. In spite of its noir and dark subject matter, however, the show also consists of a lot of humor and playfulness, according to the local producer of the show.

Rigal used to be a professional runner, and had no idea he’d become a choreographer. After quitting the sport because of an injury, he studied mathematics and economics at University of Barcelona. He also holds a master’s degree in cinema studies.

Rigal started interacting with a number of choreographers during his college years, including Heddy Maalem, Bernardo Montet and Wim Vandekeybus, and started dancing at the age of 23. He founded his own dance troupe “compagnie derniere minute” in 2003. He has been recognized for the originality of his works, which combine contemporary dance with other theatrical elements and genre.

He was invited by Korea National Contemporary Dance Company in 2010 to hold workshops for the dancers in Seoul. He was deeply moved and impressed by the dancers’ passion and enthusiasm during his stay in Korea, according to the local producer of the upcoming show, LG Arts Center. A total of nine Korean dancers were selected for “Theatre of Operations,” including Shin Hye-jin, Do Hwang-ju and Han Shin-ae. The upcoming show was choreographed by Rigal specifically for the nine dancers.

After the two-day run in Korea, which will be held next month, the nine-member team will start their European tour. Starting November, they will perform a total of 28 shows in a number of cities in France and Switzerland.

“Theatre of Operations” runs from Sept. 14-15 at LG Arts Center in southern Seoul. Tickets range from 30,000 won to 50,000 won. For more information, call (02) 2005-0114.

By Claire Lee (dyc@heraldcorp.com)