Odalisca, by Louise Bédard

Odalisca, 2021, 12 min 56 s

Odalisca was created during the pandemic in 2020 by choreographer Louise Bédard with the valuable assistance of Louis-Élyan Martin.

A word from the choreographer

In 2019 I accumulated some material composed of short sequences with the dancer Louis-Élyan Martin. It was during the pandemic, in a rush to see what this solo was trying to say, that I found the thread for this piece. The title came to me from the beginning while wondering what would be the masculine counterpart to the word odalisk, even if it meant inventing a new word that would be closely or distantly related. Odalisca appeared, serving to create, at least in my imagination, a parallel between the languid poses of women painted by Ingres and Delacroix, and the revelation of the sensuality that emerges from the dancing male body. The musical work, the result of two versions of the same piece by two different artists, encompasses voice, pulse and several melodic variations. The entire choreography is made up of multiple visual and musical layers, and summons impulsive sensibilities.

Credits:
Choreographer: Louise Bédard
Performer: Louis-Élyan Martin
FLOOD was created in collaboration with the performer
Music: Eight Wiskus, Joan La Barbara et John Cage version SutjaGutierrez et version Aisha Orazbayeva
Costumes and accessories: Louis-Élyan Martin et Valeska G.