P.I. (Pays) Ou Presentation Intimes

Julie Dossavi (BJ / F)

Born in Toulon in 1968, to family of Benin Diaspora, Julie Dossavi grew up in yet another port town, Brest, where she studied jazz dance. In 1990 she completed a degree in Physical and Sports Education, majoring in dance. She was then accepted to the Centre National de Danse Contemporaine d’Angers, and joined the Compagnie Jean-François Duroure. In 1992, she was dancer, assistant and coach at the opening ceremony of the Albertville Olympic Games, under the direction of Philippe Decouflé.

In 1993, Julie Dossavi composed her first solo piece. Her collaboration with Gérard Gourdot in the company Les Géographes was launched in 1995 along with their son Marcus. In 2003. she set up her own company, which is based in Poitiers.

She has supervised contemporary dance at the Cairo Opera, and worked Cameroon, London, Marrakech, Bangui and Chad. Her choreographies have been shown at festivals in Châteauvallon, Montpellier and Paris Quartier d’été.

The show’s title, P.I. (Pays) ou Présentations Intimes, conveys its artistic slant: an exploration of intimacy. Different kinds of intimacy: physical, sexual, spiritual, emotional, intellectual. Different worlds to trek: Mali, Benin, India, France, contemporary dance, ceremonies, groovy… A blend of traditional and electronic music, a blend of dance forms, interchange… The choreography delves into the relationship between a solo dancer and three musicians.

The creative process stems from the interactive work among the participants, who are encouraged to transcend their artistic skills in order to try out new forms while maintaining their own specificity and authenticity.