Sacred Fire
Date. June 28, 2024 City. Taichung Duration. 45 mins
Seasoned in improvising with contemporary dancers, musicians Arnaud Lechat and Coordt Linke collaborated with an aerialist for the first time. Their music infused aerial movement with a raw, mythic intensity.
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The dynamic interaction between the musicians and Joe drives the performance, as they respond to each other in ever-shifting directions — playful, responsive, and alive.
Each transition, even a pause, carries meaning, holding space for the next impulse to emerge. Sound and motion engage in real-time dialogue, creating an immersive experience for the audience.
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A Spark
Watching the aerialist move through the air — defying gravity with seemingly unusual strength, yet at times entangled in fabric — stirred something in Arnaud. ​
The fabric felt like both wings and chains. It called to his mind the image of Prometheus, the titan who defied the gods to bring fire to humanity in Prometheus Bound, the classic Greek tragedy by Aeschylus.
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Reflecting on the rise of AI, Arnaud saw in this technology a new kind of “sacred fire”— a double-edged gift: powerful yet perilous.
Dans les temps immémoriaux, Prométhée vole le feu sacré de l’Olympe pour l’offrir aux faibles humains. Pour cela, il est condamné à être enchaîné dans les enfers du Tartare pour l’éternité. Baissera-t-il la tête face à Zeus tout puissant ? Se soumettra-t-il ? Ce feu, cause de son malheur, ne le brûlera-t-il pas jusqu'à le consumer ? Prométhée, fou que tu es, qu’as-tu fait ? Bien-sûr, toute ressemblance avec ce à quoi nous faisons face avec les nouvelles technologies comme les AI génératives (le feu) et les gouvernements (Zeus) n’est que pure coïncidence.
Impulse
Rather than over-directing the body, the aerialist attends to inner impulses, allowing movement to arise organically from raw emotion and sensation. The hallmark slow-motion quality of Muju Bugei allows the body to fully attune to live music. Unhurried and receptive, it responds to every nuance in tone and rhythm. Technical precision plays a vital role. A subtle shift in weight, a rotation of the joints, and a slight change in shape allows the dancer to alter fabric tension, steer the flow of movement, and engage in an instant exchange with the live music.
Musicians embrace not only harmony but also dissonance when improvising.
The aerialist responds —
not always conforming, but at times resisting.
