Le Pur Hasard

“Nacera Belaza’s new creation, Le Pur Hasard has all the qualities of this young choreographer: rigour, subtlety, concentration. […] Working with Algerian dancers led her to question her shared identity, and if Paris-Alger (the play that resulted from this 2002 residency) was very interesting, Le Pur Hasard is certainly the most successful form of this questioning. […] Neutrality, cold light. Silence. The first dancer enters the stage, stands with aplomb, takes several minutes to open her arms and then the same amount of time to roll over herself. Then when the man enters, he argues with the air, goes into a mad and pointless rage. And if the choreographer herself dances, it is with movements that seem irresolute, firmly committed but dissolving in the space, uncertain of their purpose. In the background, a video strives to show the chair, which is the only set, and sometimes the dancers who dance in images that echo their physical presence. […] The triple solitude is echoed in three, combining three emotions (resigned obstinacy, anger, irresolution) which are all reactions in a never-ending search for identity. A superb piece, as demanding for the audience as for the dancers.”