Pichet Klunchun and myself

Sly collisions

In Pichet Klunchun and myself, Bel simply has a conversation with the Thai dancer Pichet Klunchun, about their work, the world and life. Klunchun occasionally demonstrates a few traditional Thai dances, and Bel shows what he is currently doing. ‘The fascination of the must-see Pichet Klunchun and myself should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with Mr. Bel’s career as an endearingly rumpled, brilliant enfant terrible and master of wry, sly minimalism. But he has found his perfect complement in Mr. Klunchun, a practitioner of khon, a form of classical Thai masked dance, who wanders serenely with Mr. Bel through a series of cultural collisions until the gentle cataclysm that suddenly and amusingly ends the conversation.’ ( The New York Times)

● This production is one in a series of solos and duets in which, in a very personal way, Jérôme Bel delves into the repertoire of contemporary dance by way of a dancer’s autobiography. Over the years the whole series has been staged at the Kaaitheater; in February 2010 we presented Lutz Föster by the performer Lutz Förster, who danced with Pina Bausch most of his life.

‘Avec sa fausse naïveté coutumière, Jérôme Bel présente un spectacle captivant né de sa rencontre à Bangkok avec un jeune danseur thaïlandais, Pichet Klunchun. Deux artistes que tout sépare, mais que l'humour, la sensibilité et une grande ouverture d'esprit réunissent dans une performance très originale. (…) Un spectacle d'une rare intelligence.’ – Le Figaro

interview with Jérôme Bel >>