Noé Soulier on Theory, Practice, and Gesture in Dance

Choreographer Noé Soulier (born 1987) presented two works in November 2016: Removing at the Romaeuropa Festival in Rome and Faits et gestes at the Festival d'Automne in Paris. Soulier, an associate artist at the Centre National de la Danse (CND) in Paris until 2017, explores how movement is interpreted and perceived through both practical and theoretical approaches. Removing continues research from his 2014 piece Mouvement sur Mouvement, focusing on everyday gestures stripped of context. Faits et gestes emerged from observations made during Removing. In an interview, Soulier discusses integrating theory and practice, citing his training at P.A.R.T.S. and exposure to choreographers like William Forsythe, Trisha Brown, Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, and Wim Vandekeybus. He emphasizes the importance of classical dance, having studied at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Paris and the École Nationale de Ballet du Canada. Soulier describes Removing's first part as working with actions like hitting, avoiding, and throwing, performed in unnatural ways to avoid mime. The second part incorporates Ju-Jitsu techniques, eliminating competitive aspects to evoke an erotic, carnal dimension for the audience. He is also writing a book to be published by CND, conceived as a choreographic work in text form.