Theatre Raymond Kabbaz Presents
Two Nights of Contemporary Dance
By Compagnie Étant Donné
From France
• En Aparté on Wednesday, April 3, 2013
• TU on Friday, April 5, 2013
In West Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES, CA – February 18, 2013 – Theatre Raymond Kabbaz (TRK) presents two evenings of contemporary dance by Compagnie Étant Donné, with family show En Aparté on Wednesday, April 3, 2013 and TU, an exercise of view, on Friday, April 5, 2013. Étant Donné explores dance as a conceptual art form, with performances that interpret the world through gesture, incorporating elements of independent film, Dadaism, literary theory, and humor. Both shows start at 7:30pm. Adult tickets cost $25, with student tickets $15, available at https://www.vendini.com/ticket-software.html?m=241d6077b39728479d58e072170e1c6f&t=tix. Theatre Raymond Kabbaz at Le Lycee Francais de Los Angeles is located at 10361 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90064 (310.286.0553). To learn more about Theatre Raymond Kabbaz, please visit http://www.theatreraymondkabbaz.com.

“In a nutshell, Compagnie Étant Donné explores concepts related to human communication,” says Pierre Leloup, Theatre Raymond Kabbaz Director, “These contemporary dance pieces are gestural interpretations of the playground that is life, from the ridiculous to the sublime.”

• Wednesday, April 3, 2013, 7:30pm
En Aparté (45 min.)
A duet for the whole family (ages 6 and up)
This family show explores the beauty, poetics, and inspiration in daily life. The work reveals the unique in everything around us. Through the bodies of the performers, movement becomes dance, noise becomes song. Household events, like a shower and the cacophony of dishes, are transported into the marvelous. En Aparté translates roughly to “in separate.”

En Aparté (photo courtesty Theatre Raymond Kabbaz)

• Friday, April 5, 2013, 7:30pm
TU (45 min.)
TU (or “you”) is an exercise of view. The piece features hooded dancers in a ghostly environment. Hoods hide the faces and expressions of figures who, ultimately, all walk the same path. An awakening reveals the differences behind everything that looks alike.

TU (photo courtesy Theatre Raymond Kabbaz)

Compagnie Étant Donné –
Founded in 1997 by classically trained dancers Frédérike Unger and Jérôme Ferron, Étant Donné blends elements of independent film, Dadaism, literary theory, and humor into contemporary dance performances. The Company, based in Rouen, France, is committed to staging conceptual movement that explores the world through gesture. At turns absurd and poetic, the works never forget life beyond the stage. Among the Company’s influences are Jim Jarmusch, Roland Barthes, Pierre Desproges, Sonic Youth, and Peter Handke.

Étant Donné (which roughly translates to “given”) takes its name from Marcel Duchamp’s last project, which he created in secrecy from 1946 to 1968. Generally credited as the first known art installation, Duchamp’s final work requires viewers to peek through peepholes to look at a plaster model of a naked woman in front of a waterfall. Étant Donné is supported by the French Cultural Ministry, the Région Haute-Normandie, the City of Rouen, and the Conseil Général de Seine-Maritime.

Theatre Raymond Kabbaz–
Theatre Raymond Kabbaz is a non-profit institution dedicated to the promotion of art and culture in the West Los Angeles area. This 220-seat theatre welcomes multidisciplinary and multicultural shows. TRK’s mission is to be an open window on French and international cultures, as well as to inspire and sustain a lifelong appreciation for the arts.

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For more information, press passes, photos, or to schedule an interview, please contact Green Galactic’s Lynn Tejada at 213-840-1201 or lynn@greengalactic.com.