Those Glorious French: Transports Exceptionells

I wonder if there is anything in this wide world that I love more than a French artist.

I mean, honestly, who else but the French are audacious, imaginative, and curious enough to do this:

(Second Phellip Petit reference in as many entries, I realize. C'est un coincidence.)

Or create this:



Or this:

(Don't trifle with the fact that Christo was born in Bulgaria, detail hounds! Jeanne-Claude was all French.)

And so, knowing full well that I was likely in for something a little mysterious, a lot wacky, and potentially rather magical, I wrapped myself in coats and scarves to brave the blowing harbour wind and sit on the steps of the Opera House for 20 minutes watching this:



This is French performer Phillipe Priasso's performance piece, Transports Exceptionells. Part pas de deux, part circus act, Priasso dances with his partner, the earth mover, for 20 minutes, accompanied by the arias of Maria Callas. This free performance piece was presented as part of the Spring Dance Festival.

The loose story concept, if we want to bother with one, is a courtship ritual between Priasso and the digger. They embrace, they fight, they make up, they form a deeper bond, and so forth.

Weird? Bien sur!

But, the challenge for the audience is to embrace the weirdness, while opening your imagination to the metaphorical relationship of the two dancers. If we can laugh at Toy Story and cry at Wall-E, why not open our hearts to the earth mover?









Charmant, M. Priasso.

Vive la France!