Interview — VISION, with choreographers Éric Minh Cuong Castaing, Aloun Marchal & Marine Relinger
Francis Kurkdjian Endowment Fund: As choreographers, why impose constraints that seem to hinder the precision of movement?
Aloun Marchal:
“These constraints shift our definition of precision. In Western dance, precision is often associated with visual control. But when vision is no longer central, other forms of precision emerge: a very fine attunement to breath, vibrations, body weight, and contact with others.”
Éric Minh Cuong Castaing:
“It is not a loss, it is a transformation. The performers develop extremely rich bodily strategies. Movement becomes less demonstrative and more sensory. It produces a very different kind of dance, but not a less demanding one.”
Francis Kurkdjian Endowment Fund: How did you approach the creation of a performance in which vision is no longer dominant?
Marine Relinger:
“We had to deconstruct many reflexes. Usually, we first imagine what the audience will see. Here, we started by asking what the performers would feel. The creative process was built on concrete experiences: walking in darkness, navigating through sound, memorising trajectories through touch.”
Éric Minh Cuong Castaing:
“We also worked with very long improvisation sessions. The performers showed us their own ways of navigating space. Some choreographic ideas came directly from their everyday gestures or their ways of moving.”
Francis Kurkdjian Endowment Fund: What tools or experiments did you put in place to help performers appropriate the stage space?
Aloun Marchal:
“Sound was fundamental. We created spatial sound markers: voices, breaths, acoustic textures that help people locate themselves. The floor also became a choreographic tool, with different textures and tactile sensations.”
Éric Minh Cuong Castaing:
“We also worked extensively on physical memory. Pathways are learned through bodily repetition rather than visual cues. And then there is the relationship between performers: sometimes a simple shoulder contact or shared breath becomes an anchoring point.”
Francis Kurkdjian Endowment Fund: In VISION, touch, sound, and solidarity become the foundations of movement. How did you work with these dimensions?
Éric Minh Cuong Castaing:
“The notion of collectivity is essential. In many moments of the piece, performers become guides for one another. There is a constant interdependence. This produces a very strong quality of presence.”
Aloun Marchal:
“We were also inspired by contact dance and butoh. Physical contact allows a very subtle circulation of intentions and emotions. Butoh interested us for its relationship to inner imagination and sensation rather than external form.”
Marine Relinger:
“The performance sometimes takes place in dim light or partial darkness. The audience is also invited to experience a different sensory perception. This creates a very particular form of empathy with the performers.”
Francis Kurkdjian Endowment Fund: The project also involves amateur participants from inclusive workshops. How did you integrate them without making them peripheral?
Marine Relinger:
“This was a very important question for us. We did not want these participants to be present as a symbol or illustration of inclusion. The workshops are designed as genuine spaces of artistic research.”
Éric Minh Cuong Castaing:
“Some of the amateur participants may also join the final cast. Their presence truly transforms the project. They bring lived experiences, ways of listening and moving that directly feed into the creation.”
Francis Kurkdjian Endowment Fund: Was it easy to involve these participants?
Aloun Marchal:
“At first, some people were apprehensive, especially because dance is still a very visual and sometimes intimidating field. But very quickly, the workshops created a climate of trust.”
Éric Minh Cuong Castaing:
“We work with partners such as UNADEV or the Aix en Vue association, which facilitates encounters. And above all, participants quickly understand that they are not there to ‘adapt’ to dance: dance is also adapting to them.”
Francis Kurkdjian Endowment Fund: What surprised or transformed you most in this experience?
Marine Relinger:
“The power of collective listening. In our image-saturated societies, we often forget how much sound, touch, or physical proximity can create connection.”
Aloun Marchal:
“Personally, it deeply shifted the way I think about movement. I realised that many things I considered essential were in fact cultural habits.”
Éric Minh Cuong Castaing:
“What struck me most was trust. When vision disappears, you must accept relying more on others. This creates a very strong human and choreographic quality.”
Francis Kurkdjian Endowment Fund: Beyond inclusion, do you think VISION opens up a new way of thinking choreography?
Éric Minh Cuong Castaing:
“Yes, clearly. For me, this project goes far beyond accessibility. It proposes another way of making dance: a dance that no longer relies solely on image or visual virtuosity, but on sensation and relationship.”
Aloun Marchal:
“I think we can speak of a sensory choreographic language. Movement becomes a lived experience before being something to be watched.”
Marine Relinger:
“And perhaps also a more human way of thinking about the stage. VISION reminds us that perceiving the world does not rely only on sight. Theatre and dance can become spaces where we relearn to feel together.”