Among the young French 'nouvelle danse' groups that came to the fore in the late 1980s, Claude Brumachon's 'Les Rixes' is undoubtedly one of the most curious.
Born in Rouen, Brumachon came to dance almost by chance. His father, a worker with a passion for painting, enrolled him in the Evening School of Fine Arts. Invited by a company to take dance classes, he accepted. Curious about all forms of artistic expression, Brumachon continued his studies, working for two years in the 'Ballets de la Cité' with Catherine Atlani. Three years later, he moved to Paris where he frequented Daniel Larrieu, Philippe Decouflé, Karine Saporta, Hideyuki Yano, created his first duets with Benjamin Lamarche - still his choreography assistant today - and took classical classes with Joëlle Mazet and Catherine Morelle.
"Les Rixes" was officially born in 1984, the year in which Brumachon attracted the attention of critics by winning third prize at the Bagnolet Choreographic Competition with "Atterissage de corneilles sur l'autoroute du sud". A lover of nature and ornithology, in those years he signed several compositions whose titles include names of birds: 'Le Sirli de Béjaïa', 'Oc le narquois et Oriane l'effraie', 'Le roncier où songe l'aimante pie-grièche', 'Attila et Nana, les moineaux friquets'.
The '87/'88 season saw the birth of 'Texane', a work that won four prizes at the Bagnolet Choreographic Competition that year. Having abandoned nature and ornithology, 'Texane' marks the transition to other atmospheres and language choices. America and the 1960s become the subject around which to develop a "strong" choreographic writing that alternates moments of sweetness with moments in which the gesture becomes violent and aggressive.
"Le Pièdestal des Vierges" was created in July '88 for the Festival Lancelot du Lac in Bagnoles de l'Orne. Inspired by the virginal figures of the Middle Ages, the show develops through the ambiguous and captivating alternation of contrasting sensations and qualities of movement. The Virgin, an object of veneration, a symbol of sacredness, is at the same time a desirable 'woman', a mysterious character in whom mystical love and sensuality coexist. The relationship between man and woman, here knights and virgins, is rendered on stage through interrupted, broken movements, sudden changes of direction, pauses charged with tension. The constant cipher of this work is anticipation, emphasised by the music of composer Christophe Zurfluh. The sculptural quality of movement and the evocative visual impact of Brumachon's performances are noteworthy, characteristics that derive from his previous training in painting.
His most recent creations include the burning 'Folie' ('89) and 'L'Enfant et les Sortiléges' created in '90 for the Nantes Opera.
