Since their first collaboration in 2009, Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker and Michel François have worked together several times. In 2010, they created the piece En Atendant, which features BERNABO, a solo by Boštjan Antončič. En Atendant was created for the Cloître des Célestins in Avignon and presented outdoors, under the night sky, on an uneven surface of stone and sand, surrounded by old trees and occasional gusts of wind. This unique environment encouraged De Keersmaeker to explore a particular economy of means, reflected not only in the absence of a set and stage lighting but also in the premise of the choreography, which focuses on the physical presence of the body and the fundamental movements of walking and breathing. 

The minimalist nature of the dance was also inspired by the music. For En Atendant, De Keersmaeker turned to the history of Avignon and Ars Subtilior, an intricate musical form dating back to the 14th century – a time marked by socio-political upheaval and the plague, uncertainty, darkness, and death. Michel François later adapted the scenography for En Atendant to fit a black box theatre. He subtly evoked the original setting by tracing a line of soil across the stage – a single thin, straight line, painstakingly crafted before each performance and then slowly de(con)structed by the Rosas dancer Boštjan Antončič. By the end of his dance, the floor and the dancer’s body are covered in a thin layer of dust evocative of the piece’s origins. 

#starry night #tree crowns #sound of wind #and then the dance #then the sand #a print of dance on the body

choreography: Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker * created with and performed by: Boštjan Antončič * scenography: Michel François * costume design: Anne-Catherine Kunz * production: Rosas * Rosas is supported by the Flemish Community and the Flemish Community Commission (VGC)

© Anne Van Aerschot, Michel François