The Bastille Dances
Commissioned to celebrate the bicentenary of the French Revolution, the piece began from the central image of the Revolution, the storming and demolition of the Bastille, and the subsequent dispersal of its stones throughout Paris - an image standing for the destruction of the Ancien Regime and subsequent distribution of power to the populace. A continuous performance lasting from two hours to a week, the piece used 8000 breeze blocks to explore the relationships between politics, power and buildings: how buildings reflect the value of society and why people organise themselves in building what they build. The process of the piece was one of spectacular and continuous mutation. Harnessing the energy of the French Revolution, The Bastille Dances created a rhythm within which buildings and structures are transformed, broken down and rebuilt in a form of grand scale sculptural theatre. Like the most dramatic events of the French Revolution, each evening's 'performance' came as an eruption out of the slow process of change.
with Bates Abbott, Kirsty Alexander, Jane Barwell, Matthew Bowyer, James Braithwaite, Pascal Brannan, Bruce Gilchrist, Emma Healey, Niki Jewett, Jo Miles, Krys Myszka, Dean Proctor, Steve Roberts, Alison Urquhart, Mole Wetherall
Musicians David Adams, Sarah Clarke, Sarah Homer, John Kalli, Vicky Trotman, Kay Warner
Music director/composer Ivan Hewett
Directed by Julian Maynard Smith
"Is it really theatre? Since it is directed, aesthetically controlled, lit and costumed, the answer has to be 'Yes'. It is also spectacular, witty, monotonous and surprising in turns. It appeals simultaneously to drunks, itinerant theatre-goers and dedicated students of performance art."
Michael Billington, The Guardian
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Commissioned by Théâtre de Cherbourg and the London International Festival of TheatreAn ArtsAdmin production, 1989
Théâtre de Cherbourg; The National Theatre, London; Amsterdam Zomerfestijn/Mickery Theatre; Szene Festival, Salzburg; Barcelona Olympic Festival 1989
