Cartes Blanches means ‘complete freedom’ or ‘a blank card.” While blankness gives reign to choice, factors like the card’s size and texture, inevitably shape it. This play of freedom with restriction seemed to define ‘Cartes Blanches’, recreated with Indian dancers by French choreographer Mourad Merzouki, in collaboration with Prakriti Foundation and The French Institute in India.
Performed at Prestige Srihari Khoday Centre for Performing Arts, Bengaluru, ‘Cartes Blanches’ simultaneously relayed distance and intimacy. The proscenium stage set apart the impossibly nimble dancers from an audience not necessarily made up of dancers, while the highly skilled dancers played out intimate (and complex) movement conversations conducted against the backdrop of a grandly furnished living room. Sharply designed lights determined the audience’s perception of the powerful storytelling taken on by dancers negotiating unique relationships with rhythm, time and space.
| It seemed like the invitation to experience freedom was also extended to the audience who could make their own meaning of the narratives panning out on stage. These narratives could have spoken of young cousins meeting after long, a reunion of classmates or even a family’s post-dinner conversation. The interaction between diverse dance styles layered the performance — astounding in energy and told in an endearing voice.
‘Cartes Blanches’ was presented by six Indian dancers chosen last year through .