On stage, a striking community blending childlike bodies and robotic forms challenges our perception of humanity and its representation, from the first cave paintings to humanoid robots, including Da Vinci's anatomical studies, Michelangelo's Pietàs, and the corps de ballet. Three eras inspired by living tableaux unfold this dual dramaturgy of a compassionate community and its image, questioning the spectator's empathy. As technical and technological evolution has accompanied our self-awareness and humanity, the children and robots dance and evoke this creative gesture: representing humanity. School of Moon was born from the encounter between Eric MCC and roboticist Thomas Peyruse, who works with the Poppy robotic platform from the INRIA Bordeaux laboratory (Flowers team), which has been passionately researching humanoid robots and developing their capabilities for imitation and generation of human movement for years. School of Moon is also the third part of a series of works involving children, following the choreographic piece lil’dragon (2011) and the short film and installation Kid Birds, referencing the work of Merce Cunningham (2014). Choreographer Eric Minh Cuong Castaing questions the representations and perceptions of the body in the age of new technologies, exploring dual concepts such as reality and fiction, artificial and natural/organic.
Credits
Conception & choreography— Eric Minh Cuong Castaing in close cooperation with the dancers Ana Pi, Gaétan Brun Picard, assistant choreographe
Performers— Ana Pi, Gaétan Brun Picard, les élèves de la classe CM2A de l’école du Parc Bellevue et des élèves du cycle 1 de l’ENSDM
poppy_robotics— Thomas Peyruse
nao_robotics— Aurélien Conil
Original soundtrack— Grégoire Simon & Alexandre Bouvier
Lighting— Sébastien Lefèvre
Set design— Grégoire Faucheux
Dramaturgy— Céleste Germe
Artistic collaboration— Pauline Simon, Béatrice Mille, Alessandro Scarrioni
Makeup creation— Emilie Bach, Eric Minh Cuong Castaing
Production— Shonen
