Julien Desprez – ‘Coco’

With this performance, Julien Desprez lays down the foundations for a raw environment where there’s no such thing as taboo. Originating at the crossroads between Brazilian popular culture and experimental performative practices, ‘Coco’ confronts traditional Samba dance with noise music.

Graphic design, choreography, and sound art are interwoven in a bid to question each discipline’s definition, all the while playfully dealing with ideas on identity. The relationship between sound and gesture is examined through the prism of Brazilian “Samba de Coco” offering a new perspective of musicians as dancers and vice-versa. Instruments are dotted across the entirety of the stage and can be played by each and every performer, therefore inextricably linking musical elements to movements, choreography, and space.

The stage is bathed in the colour of an intense light  which counterbalances the performers, challenging the way in which we perceive them throughout the piece. Cross-disciplinary in nature, ‘Coco’ aims to test the limits of aesthetic classifications.

Julien Desprez is a composer and artistic director born in Paris. He began playing guitar at the age of 16 and has since become a key element in the Parisian jazz scene, co-founding Collectif COAX in 2008. In 2014, he created his first solo production entitled ‘Acapulco’, which brought him international acclaim. His approach to the guitar has continued to expand: he now sees it as a device to craft space and sound, rather than simply as an instrument to be played. Desprez’ artistic practice is axed around several questions: how should we deal with the body and its movements triggered by music? Is it possible to use music to break down the medium’s own boundaries? These topics are explored in performances such as ‘Cut up is a Dance(r)’, and ‘Acapulco Redux’.

Sound, video and choreography for six performers
Length: 60 mins
Recommended for ages 10 and up
Original production: May 2019, CND Pantin, France, as part of the Nemo Biennale 2019
Premiered at Festival Musica, Théâtre de Hautepierre, Strasbourg, France, October 3 2019.

CAST
Julien Desprez : Guitar, performance, direction
Ana Rita Teodoro : Performance, voice
Marion Cousin : Performance, voice
Pau

Simon : Performance, guitar
Julien Loutelier : Percussion, performance
Gregory Edelein : Performance and external perspective
Clément Vercelletto : Modular synthesizer, performance
Franck Gelie : Sound design
Miléna Grange : Stage manager
Bastien Mignot : Dramaturgy
Marguerite Lantz : Costume design
Maël Pinard : Light design
Guillaume Marmin : Light design

Instruments: Electric guitars, percussion, modular synths, tamancos (Brazilian clogs)

Production: La Muse en Circuit, Centre National de Création Musicale –Alfortville
Co-production: Collectif COAX, Festival Musica – Strasbourg, CN D Pantin
Distribution: Murailles Music

Supported by: Théâtre de Vanves, ARCADI Ile-de-France, CNC-DICREAM, Fonds pour la Création Musicale (FCM), and SPEDIDAM.