Full Moon, premiering at the Montpellier Danse Festival in June 2024, brings together seven of Omma's eight dancers to further explore and expand upon the themes introduced in the original piece, with Josef Nadj joining them onstage. The moon in the title symbolizes the cosmos, the genesis of the universe preceding life's emergence. It could offer the production a rhythmic structure, echoing its 28-day cycle and four phases. Nadj delves into the roots and evolution of black American jazz, introducing dancers to this genre rooted in African culture. Together, they analyze the music's forms and ethos to develop corresponding movements.

Full Moon pays homage to eminent representatives of the movement like Charles Mingus, Cecil Taylor, Anthony Braxton and the Art Ensemble of Chicago. The production incorporates puppetry, a recurring motif in Nadj's work, representing the interplay between the animate and inanimate, the imperfect nature of creation, and the eternal struggle between creator and creation.

Josef Nadj was born in Kanjiža, Serbia, and went on to study at the Fine Arts School in Budapest. Since the 1980s, he has been a pioneer of contemporary dance, exploring themes of humanity with poetry and passion. His creations, which combine dance, visual arts, and music, have been performed in almost 50 countries. Until 2016, he served as the director of the Centre chorégraphique national d’Orléans, after which he founded the Atelier 3+1 company in Paris to continue his creative work. Throughout his career, he has received numerous prestigious awards for his contributions to the arts.

With:
Timothé Ballo, Abdel Kader Diop, Aipeur Foundou, Bi Jean Ronsard Irié, Jean-Paul Mehansio, Sombewendin Marius Sawadogo, Boukson Séré & Josef Nadj

Artistic collaborator: Ivan Fatjo
Lighting: Sylvain Blocquaux
Costumes: Paula Dartigues
Production and distribution: Bureau Platô (Séverine Péan and Mathilde Blatgé)
Administration: Laura Petit

Music by Fritz Hauser, Famoudou Don Moye & Tatsu Aoki, Art Ensemble Of Chicago, Malachi Favors Maghostut & Tatsu Aoki, Peter Vogel, Christian Wolfarth, Lucas Niggli

Co-production Montpellier Danse, Le Trident, Scène nationale de Cherbourg, MC93 Maison de la culture de Seine-Saint-Denis, Bobigny, Charleroi Danse, Le Tropique Atrium, Fort-de-France, Théâtre des Salins, Scène nationale de Martigues, Le Théâtre d’Arles
with the support of France Ministry of Culture, DRAC Ile de France, financed by Île-de-France Region and Teatroskop – a program initiated by the French Institute, the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs

Artistic residencies Montpellier Danse 2024, creative residency at Agora, Cité internationale de la Danse, with the support of Fondation BNP Paribas CND – Centre National de la Danse à Pantin, La Maison des Métallos, Paris, Charleroi Danse, La Cocoteraie des arts, Mondoukou, Artus Studio, Budapest, Le Trident, Scène nationale de Cherbourg, MC93 Maison de la culture de Seine-Saint-Denis, Bobigny

Photos: Laurent Philippe, Arbre E. Saldana, Theo Schornstein

Duration: 01:00

Gallery