Boris Charmatz's 12-Hour Ronde at Grand Palais

On January 16, 2021, Boris Charmatz staged his monumental 12-hour dance piece 'la Ronde' in the nave of the Grand Palais in Paris, as part of the Festival d'Automne's portrait of the choreographer. The work, inspired by Arthur Schnitzler's 1897 play of the same name, features 20 dancers from different choreographic backgrounds performing a continuous chain of duets that transition into one another. Participants include Soa Ratsifandrihana, Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker, Emmanuelle Huynh, and Charmatz himself. The piece explores themes of social connection and prohibition during a time of social distancing, drawing on the prehistoric form of the round dance as a leaderless, participatory structure. France 5 aired a special evening on March 12, 2021, featuring a documentary by Claire Duguet and Sophie Kovess-Brun followed by a recording of the performance. The documentary is available on France.tv for 7 days, the recording for 9 months.