Manon Bouquet is a French stage artist and choreographer whose work has community and exchange as central themes. In her latest project, Le Groupe, she explores the artistic stagnation that arose from the pandemic and how collaborative energies, inspired by love and interdependency, helped her through the dark days. The soundtrack, Jaime XX’s “Gosh,” recalls the halcyon days of clubbing and sets the tempo for the cast of dancers who freak out in time to the deep bassline and wistful-sounding keys.
“Time, the only tool that remained at my disposal [during the pandemic], made me fill my head with ideas. I had a simple desire; to share dance again. Everything happens for a reason and the frustration [of lockdown] gave birth to this project, which considers all the questions I asked myself during that long period of artistic emptiness.
The beginning was full of positivity, as hope was still there, and introspection allowed the manifestation of all that was buried. I then realized, with strength and certainty, the importance of others for fulfillment and a balanced existence.
Help, support, and sharing allow us to grow and evolve in peace and serenity. If I am alone with my thoughts, with no one to feel deeply all that I have to say, then all of this [art] is useless.”
