Pichet Klunchun and Myself

Jérome Bel, enfant terrible of contemporary dance, is coming to Trafó on January 27-28 with his show of cultural differences and constant learning, Pichet Klunchun and Myself. We talked to the choreographer about the basics of the show.

What’s the concept behind Pichet Klunchun and Myself?

This is a reenactment of our fist meeting inBangkok. We perform the moment we met a few years ago.

In your experience, are there any common elements of different dances around the world? Is there a dialogue between them?

In my experience, there are some basic universal emotions that all of us human beings share like, for example, crying or laughing (there are a few other ones); but the way to express them is not universal, it is cultural. Europeans will express crying in a very different way than Asians. But as I know crying from my life, I have a chance to recognize it in an Asian expression. Beyond those basic emotions, I would be lost, unable to understand anything in the dance of the other. Our piece is all about this issue, we try to create a dialogue between the different cultures as they are so complex and create so many misunderstandings. We need to be very careful.

Have you always been interested in different traditional dances? Or is Pichet Klunchun and Myself your first experiment with them?

No, I am very interested in extra-western performances. The Asian one is incredibly rich, from India to Japan you have theatrical forms and choreographic forms which are rich and complex. I had my first shock in Tokyo when I went to see a kabuki performance. It was a revelation: theater or dance was only an accepted code of representation, learned by the spectator. This idea helped me a lot in my work.

Pichet Klunchun and Myself came to life in 2005. Has the show changed or evolved in any way in the past six years?

Yes, very much. This reenactment of 2005 is worked into every performance, every time we meet/perform we dig deeper, we try to be more precise, to learn new things from the other. We keep meeting and learning from each other.

A review of the show claimed your reaction to Pichet Klunchun’s performance is the typical European reaction. What does that mean? What’s a typically European response to Thai dance?

Well, I cannot deny I am European… In Europe we don’t know anything about classical Thai dance, so my reaction is the reaction of a non-educated person. Like a lot of Europeans, who probably are well-versed only in their own culture, the western one…maybe.

What was Pichet’s reaction to your moves?

Complete astonishment!

Pichet Klunchun and Myself has lots of verbal and physical humor in it. Is it a means to understanding, or just a sign of trying?

Yes, language is the most sophisticated way for human beings to understand each other. That’s why the piece is so verbal, because we try to understand our different dances. The humor comes from the fact that we don’t understand each other, there are many misunderstandings which are very funny for the audience.

What’s the conclusion: full understanding or mutual respect?

Full understanding: no. I think we should have to work much more, a culture is something so deep in each human being, it is almost like genes, something natural, it takes a lot of time to understand it. Respect, for sure!

Related

• Jérome Bel: Pichet Klunchun and Myself 27 January 2012, Friday – 28 January 2012, Saturday
• Compagnie Yvette Bozsik – Arabian Nights 26 February 2012, Sunday 10:30
• Compagnie Yvette Bozsik – Ball, or the Rejoicing Dance 16 February 2012, Thursday 19:00
• Varidance: Enchantment 28 January 2012, Saturday 19:00
• Ördöglakat – Premier! 21 December 2011, Wednesday 20:00