History is partly fictional. Based on this premise, Trajal Harrell reinterprets our pasts. In Caen Amour he interweaves the oeuvre of draping queen Loïe Fuller with that of butoh founder Tatsumi Hijikata and Comme des Garçons founder Rei Kawakubo, but also with oriental dance and striptease.
The performance is like a hoochie coochie show: the seductive belly-dance shows that appeared during the 1893 Chicago World Expo, as precursors to vaudeville and striptease. Harrell thus opts for a form that balances on the border between dance and entertainment; a dance installation with the energy of a fashion show. Continuous transformations, in which clothing, fabrics and their forms are central, free the performers from a fixed identity.
Caen Amour creates a titillating reinterpretation of butoh cross-dressing, hoochie coochie striptease and the swirling draping of Loïe Fuller. The set initially has a clear front and backstage: the hoochie and the coochie side. Gradually, the boundaries between public and private fade, and the viewer gets to see a completely transparent and seductive game of seduction.
Choreography: Trajal Harrell
With: Trajal Harrell, Thibault Lac, Pearl Palombe, Ondrej Vidlar and guest artist Aria Boumpaki
Light Design: Sylvain Rausa
Set Design: John Stephan Kiss and Trajal Harrell
Soundtrack: Trajal Harrell
Dramaturgy: Sara Jansen
Costume Design: Trajal Harrell and the performers
Co-production: Avignon Festival, Kampnagel (Hamburg), Theater Freiburg (Germany), Arsenic (Lausanne), Gessnerallee Zürich, Rotterdamse Schouwburg, and an important support from Tanzfond Erbe
Diffusion: ART HAPPENS
| Date | Performance | City Country | Organisation/Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 07.11.2024 | Caen Amour | Ghent (be) | VIERNULVIER / NTGent |
| 06.11.2024 | Caen Amour | Ghent (be) | VIERNULVIER / NTGent |
| 29.10.2023 | Caen Amour | Paris (fr) | Festival d'Automne à Paris/Théâtre Public de Montreuil |
| 28.10.2023 | Caen Amour | Paris (fr) | Festival d'Automne à Paris/Théâtre Public de Montreuil |
| 27.10.2023 | Caen Amour | Paris (fr) | Festival d'Automne à Paris/Théâtre Public de Montreuil |
| 04.11.2022 | Caen Amour | Bonn (de) | Bundeskunsthalle |
| 23.05.2020 | Caen Amour (CANCELLED - Covid-19) | Rome (it) | Teatro India |
| 08.03.2019 | Caen Amour | Berlin (de) | Berliner Festspiele |
| 29.07.2018 | Caen Amour | Vienna (at) | ImPulsTanz |
| 10.03.2018 | Caen Amour | Oslo (no) | Black Box Teater |
| 09.03.2018 | Caen Amour | Oslo (no) | Black Box Teater |
| 29.10.2017 | Caen Amour | Zurich (ch) | Gessnerallee |
| 28.10.2017 | Caen Amour | Zurich (ch) | Gessnerallee |
| 09.09.2017 | Caen Amour | Essen (de) | Pact Zollverein & Ruhrtriennale |
| 08.09.2017 | Caen Amour | Essen (de) | Pact Zollverein & Ruhrtriennale |
| 07.09.2017 | Caen Amour | Essen (de) | Pact Zollverein & Ruhrtriennale |
| 06.09.2017 | Caen Amour | Essen (de) | Pact Zollverein & Ruhrtriennale |
| 19.08.2017 | Caen Amour | Berlin (de) | Tanz im August |
| 18.08.2017 | Caen Amour | Berlin (de) | Tanz im August |
| 17.08.2017 | Caen Amour | Berlin (de) | Tanz im August |
| 19.05.2017 | Caen Amour | Munich (de) | Münchner Kammerspiele |
| 18.05.2017 | Caen Amour | Munich (de) | Münchner Kammerspiele |
| 01.04.2017 | Caen Amour | Brussels (be) | Kaaitheater |
| 31.03.2017 | Caen Amour | Brussels (be) | Kaaitheater |
| 23.03.2017 | Caen Amour | Freiburg (de) | Theater Freiburg |
| 10.02.2017 | Caen Amour | Rotterdam (nl) | Rotterdamse Schouwburg |
| 09.02.2017 | Caen Amour | Rotterdam (nl) | Rotterdamse Schouwburg |
| 13.07.2016 | Caen Amour | Avignon (fr) | Festival d'Avignon |
| 12.07.2016 | Caen Amour | Avignon (fr) | Festival d'Avignon |
| 11.07.2016 | Caen Amour | Avignon (fr) | Festival d'Avignon |
| 10.07.2016 | Caen Amour | Avignon (fr) | Festival d'Avignon |
| 09.07.2016 | Caen Amour | Avignon (fr) | Festival d'Avignon |