Alain Platel's 'Out of Context for Pina' Explores Gestural History Through Empty Stage at MC93

Alain Platel's production 'Out of Context for Pina' was presented at MC93, Maison de la culture de Seine-Saint-Denis in Bobigny from January 17 to 19, 2019. The work, produced by les ballets C de la B, unfolds on a deliberately empty stage, populated only temporarily by performers who emerge from the audience. Nine individuals—three women and six men—rise from their seats, disrobe to their undergarments, wrap themselves in red blankets, and occupy the space. Over ninety minutes, they trace an ambitious arc of human gesture, moving from animalistic movements and mating displays to contemporary club dancing and classical ballet references. Performers intermittently use microphones to sing snippets of popular songs, including a karaoke version of 'Aïcha,' while engaging in contortions and hip movements. The piece culminates in a scene of infancy, with actual babies and children brought on stage to interact with dancers crawling and babbling. Platel dedicates the work to Pina Bausch, deliberately avoiding fixed character development in favor of fluid, transient embodiments. The production, originally created in 2009 and reprised by its original dancers, concludes with an invitation for audience members to join performers in an embrace on stage, leaving them to applaud the empty space once more.