Olivier Dubois describes his 2012 work Tragédie as an exploration of the gulf between merely being human and embracing our full humanity. On paper, his ideas come dressed in the philosophy of Nietzsche and the history of Greek tragedy. On stage, however, his 18 dancers perform entirely naked.
During the first half hour, these men and women are reduced to bare essentials. They track the stage in a grid formation, their faces expressionless, their footfalls dictated by a relentless drum. Yet, however minimal their choreography, the dancers impress with their individuality. Their impact stems partly from their lack of fear or inhibition, partly from their rich variety of body type and shape. Even as our attention wanders from the movement's repetition, we are drawn into an odd physical intimacy with the dancers, with the heft and pigmentation of their bodies, their birth marks and body hair.
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