Compagnie Pal Frenak / MenNonNo

MenNonNo is a mysterious blue universe. Frenák’s six-month long journey through Japan inspired the choreography. The dancer comes to life from statue-like stiff postures in this performance that draws on the art of minimalist movement peculiar to Butoh. The gestures unfold in an imperceptible way, projecting onto each other the means of expression used by the dancer and the sign language of the deaf and dumb.
The large blue costume which first covers the space then envelops the dancer reminds of a huge mass of water, the sea or the ocean. The force emanating from the blue surrounding and the enveloping train of fabric also recalls plastic art personalities and creations such as Yves Klein’s Klein Blue or Sam Francis’ Blue balls.
The performance opens up sensibility, addresses us, impels us towards re-evaluation and imbues our own being. The lived gestures convey the spatialized ideas with an explosive force. The paint-brush of the body is filled with blue, where the costume holds it together as a skin at times, but also flows like paint amidst the curious gaze of the people.

Pál Frenák

Dancer and choreographer Pál Frenák returned to Hungary in 1999 to establish his Franco-Hungarian dance company. He caused a sensation on the local dance scene, and with his new dance culture, his deep affinity with forms of expression that extend beyond the verbal, and his innovative technical solutions, he has had a defining impact on the evolution of contemporary dance. His performances are built up from a diversity of moves that are inspired by human relationships, man and his environment. These often give rise to the most loaded situations, the widest range of variations. Frenák’s works are not snapshots or passing emotions, but far-reaching questions which he poses with a highly visual approach that throws open the gates of the imagination.

www.ciefrenak.fr