Author ANA MARIA MUNTEANU
Dancing is an art with an thrilling contribution to defining twentieth-century identity and Gigi Caciuleanu as choreographer, professor, dancer, director of projects and dance companies in France, Italy, România, Russia and Latin America, jury member for Eurovision International Contests, Paris, Tokyo, marking emblematically for Romanian identity cultural life on four continents. He was born in Bucharest into a veritable clan- grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles, Romanians, Russians, Greeks evacuated from Basarabia by soviet troops – “choosing” to live in a basement located near the Garden’s Icon, a crowded place where however seven languages were spoken, music was made and poetry read.
He studies dance in Bucharest, at 14 years-old, discovers contemporary dance thanks to Master Miriam Răducanu and continues to improve at classical ballet in Moscow, at The Balşoi Theater Academy becoming the soloist of Opera Ballet in Bucharest. He gains reputation as choreographer in 1972, remaining in the West as an alternative to isolation and ideological control that brutally ended the brief period of cultural life “ liberalization” following Czechoslovakia 1968 invasion by soviet troops.
I left in 1972 because I was blocked both as an artist and creator. We were a group of artists who invented the night life of Bucharest. After performances ended at the Opera, we used to dance in clubs…those were extraordinary moments.” Therefore, a “off opera” move by jazz concerts and recitals, instrumental drama, contemporary music and dance on festival stages, in museums and clubs. As the famous 9 ½ Nocturnes overtime, whose memory is lost along with the disappearance of the “expired” generation by the contest of the two systems- Gigi Căciuleanu dances with Miriam Răducanu ( emblematic personality in Romanian contemporary dance) Aurelian Octav-Popa, Ianczi Korosi, Johnny Răducanu, Costin Mirescu ( who also went to Paris). Other two forming events essential in the period before leaving the country are underground performances at the Faculty of Architecture with Ruxandra Racovitză, Dan Mastacan, Sonia Dumitrescu, and multiple dance and poetry recitals at Dalles Hall, Radio Hall, National Museum of Art next to actors as Irina Petrescu, Victor Rebengiuc, Dan Mastacan. There are forms of dialogue and artistic interference which, in that moment somewhat amortizes the negative impact of events in the communist world, inscribing at the same register of apparent opening with inviting to Bucharest personalities, orchestras, theater and dance companies, for instance, Hamburg Ballet`s “ A Mid-summer Night’s Dream” after Shakespeare, choreography by John Neumayer, or Munchen Philharmonic Orchestra with Sergiu Celibidache to the desktop, as part of “George Enescu” International Festival, etc.- period ended by PCR`s 1972 theses.
At that moment for Gigi Căciuleanu risks for “ crossing east-west barrier “ are considerable, progressively diminished by achieving some prestigious awards – he already was given 1st Prize for Choreography at International Competition in Varna for “Mess around” (1970), followed by 1st Prize at 1971 Competition in Koln for “Voix” creation where he’s dancing with Miriam Răducanu, Ruxandra Racovitză and Raluca Ianegic and, again 1st Prize, the following year at Koln for “ Kerzenschatten”, award that confirms his value and gives him the opportunity to teach courses first at the famous Folkwang Schule in Essen and then at Wuppertal for Pine Bausch`s dancers. The psychological shock is much more difficult to overcome. “ My cultural baggage and ability to work saved me and, of course, Miriam Răducanu who stimulated me enormously…In the west freedom was a relative concept. In my case that meant to work far more as a foreign person- I came from East and not from America. Paradoxically, classical ballet helped me become one of contemporary dance pioneers in France..” If in the country TVR appearances with Dan Mastacan ( who meanwhile became an actor at French Comedy, then valued film actor , and had over this, a professional status appreciated in Parisian fashion world) will play an essential role in all important moments of artistic life..” like Pierre Berger for Yves Saint Laurent ,…I learned from him all I know about show and marketing mechanisms.
In 1973 together with Rosella Hightower creates the contemporary dance studio at the Grand Theatre in Nancy, which later became Ballet de Lorraine-Dance Contemporaine de France. In 1974 receives a Choreography award for “ Joie” in Bagnolet, but also a member of Author’s Society in France and of UNESCO`s International Dance Council ( CID ). Invites choreographers like Dominique Bagouet, Jacques Garnier, Maguy Marin. Reorganizes choreography meeting from Premontres, creates “Le Danse dans la rue a Aix –en-Province” for which receives twice the Medal of the city. For a period of 15 years starting with 1978 is, along with Dan Mastacan director of National Choreographic Center in Rennes-Bretagne, where he collaborates with Astor Piazzola, Marius Constant, Pina Bausch, Maia Plissetskaia, Jean Michel Jarre, Claude Lefevre, Maina Gielgud, Yvette Chauviree, Anton Dolin, Adam Luders, Patrick Dupond, Jean Guizerix, Wilfride Piollet, etc. During all this time his vision takes shape through teamwork with Dan Mastacan ( theatre and film actor, director, light designer) and Ruxandra Racovitză, the one with whom he interprets all his chorographical creations. His choreographies enters the repertoire of the Paris Opera, Opera of Lyon, of Pina Bausch company in Wuppertal, “ La Fenice” Theater in Venice, The Opera in Rome and the one in Cardiff, the Bat-Dor company in Israel. In 1984 Jack Lang, Minister of Culture assigns him with “ Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres” title. In 1992 he creates “ La Folle de Chaillot” choreography both in Paris and the Balşoi Theater for the famous choreographer Maia Plissetskaia and receives the support of Pierre Cardin in disseminating works and imposing them as a prestigious success of universal contemporary art, his choreographies being taken over by BBC, NHK Japan, Ostenkino Moscow, Channel 13 ( USA), TVR. Since 1994 creates his own dance company in Paris at Pleyel hall. Mounts “ Oskolki, mirroirs brises” at Pierre Cardin Center, “ Sommaire soleil”, “ Ma nuit avec Nijinsky” and “ La follia” at Pompidou Center with Jeune Ballets de France. His choreographies are presented in the mythical places of theater and dance: Avignon Festival, Bouffes de Nord Theater, Espace Cardin. ..He’s presented in the Dictionary of Dance, Larousse : “ splendid dancer, creative pedagogue, Romanian-born French choreographer. ..invited to the most prestigious companies, having a personal, elegant and musical language”. ( Larousse-Bordas/HER, 1999, p.79 ). First returns in România after 1989 at Romanian television’s invitation, together with his company in Paris, with “ Farewell Odessa” at the Theater of Piatra Neamţ (1999), at the International Euro-dance Festival in Iaşi (1998, 1999), International Dance Festival in Constanţa (2000), with the national dance company from Santiago de Chile ( El BANCH) – Carne de Aire show ( The ether meat ) in 2006 in Sibiu and Bucharest. Mounts in first premiere “Requiem” by Verdi at Ballet Theater Oleg Danovski ( Constanţa, 2001) as well as a number of creations of which Mozzartissimo, both in video-dance version, presented at Dance Screen Monaco ( 2002) and at the International Festival in Nice ( 2003). He`s invited at Ariel Theater in Târgu-Mureş, at the Romanian Opera where he creates “The fantastic symphony” on Berlioz `s music and recently, at the Comedy Theater in Bucharest the “OuiBaDa” show with students from UNATC Bucharest. Starting with 2001 he is director of the Chilean Ballet, obtains “Altazor” choreography award – the most important award granted in Chile – for “ Cuerpos” and “ Gente”. The most important choreographies mounted in Chile ( Gente, Cuerpos, Comedia, Carne de aire, Verdi- Requiem and Magnificat with The Symphony Orchestra and University Choir of Santiago de Chile) are presented throughout 2008 and 2009 seasons at the Solis Theater in Montevideo in recognition of his entire artistic work. He is awarded the title of honorary citizen of Montevideo town and the Art Expansion Center of Santiago de Chile University schedules his creations in Los Angeles and other Latin American capitals.
The choreographic language description as action, involves the use of concepts space framed in twentieth century`s great dance systems- Rudolf Laban ( the concept of energy, specialized tension and geometric crystallization) and Kurt Joos ( tranz-drama theory )etc. and multidimensional developed by personalities like Martha Graham, Jose Limon, Merce Cunningham etc. – texture, energy, tree vectors, causal additional-interference concerns, circulation-connection, change- transformation, stop, passage as well as symbolic, deictic, iconic, kinetographic “installation of typologies ”( Raluca Ianegic, 2004). Gigi Căciuleanu presents his own philosophy and dance system in “ Wind, Volumes, Vectors” ( released last year in România, at “Curtea Veche” publishing house, a book which professor Louis Merino Montero, dean of Santiago de Chile University considers to be of conceptual and academic caliber ( “ un libro del calibre conceptual y academico como el tuyo merece ser divulgato urbi et orbe”). An interdisciplinary theoretical approach to dance that reflects a trend toward mathematical rationality and, equally, addresses the body “ in a state of dance” adapted to a poetic, philosophical, theatrical expression intent. For Gigi Caciuleanu “the quality of choreographic space involves a quality time… When I dance I feel completely disconnected from reality, connected to something else. I`m more concrete than ever, and, at the same time, I perceive myself as a ensemble of abstract points moving in abstract spaces ensemble also, in the middle of “n” elastic temporalities. The problem of a dancer is that he’s at the same time mechanic and intelligence, and feeling, and sensations…His whole body is perception and sensation. Sensations are very important. The movement is caused…by an impulse when internal when external. If I were to give another definition to dance – there are many definitions- I would say that is a game between inner and outside look…”. The impact of Gigi Căciuleanu signed shows anywhere in the world can be understood through this signs universalization which reveals an inside “look” that balances itself in dialogue and manifests as wholeness, as a state of freedom up against “speech stereotypes” in which the subject, rather than talking, is talked ( Lacan, 2001). “ I cannot conceive gesture for gesture, movement without any significance whether, say, poetic, metaphorical, but also psychological, theatrical, or philosophical. Alain Bosquet said that poetry is something impossible to resume. If poetry, unlike prose, is this something that can’t be summed up, dancing is something that cannot be expressed otherwise than by dancing. It’s like high math: it cannot be expressed in words.There is hidden, encrypted metaphor, multiple meanings. Dance is poetry in the sense of concentration in a space and time very small – a quantity of energy and an arborescent sense. This poetry is theatrical , as Shakespeare’s theatrical being at the same time poet and philosopher. There is no other phrase to summarize volumes of philosophy in a few syllables, in that game of consonants and rhythmic vocals: “ to be or not to be”. It’s a dance : to bE or not to bE, to bE or not to bE..It is rhythm. Shiva`s rhythm : simple, seemingly naïve but requiring a life to be able to only get the impression that you are approaching a beginning of decipherment…Drawers, levels of reading. I’m trying to build levels of reading in dance”. So, wherever installed, Căciuleanu space begins as sign and qualitative relationships training in the dance studio, “familiar place” for dancers, public, press ( choreographer, who speaks fluently 9 languages, says he feels at home anywhere provided to be in a dance studio). Therefore creation, as theatralisation of cross-cultural self –Romanian, French, European, transatlantic- and the choreographer in movement as intercultural “ multiplier agent “ generates “ welding/ identification points, between cultures, performers, critics, spectators, at the theater, on sites and blogs. This synergistic physical and meta-physics force manifests in the case of Gigi Caciuleanu as atypical iconicity ( not generated by starsystem nor institutionally) and , in particular, as ensemble of digital resources that includes 32 videos on You Tube- fragments of performances, dance classes, audience rehearsals in Spanish- totaling over 100 minutes ( map comparable to a pop star) more than 4000 visitors with numerous interventions on the forum, 186 references on google.ro pages, plus a massive presence on google.fr. – in dance archives – Centre National de la Danse-Paris, Centre National Coregraphique de Rennes, articles in influent dance magazines of francophone space, articles in Romanian press- chronicles, annotations, interviews etc.
It can therefore refer to a holistic establishing with multiple fields of enunciation ( “I’m sentenced to complexity” says in an interview published by “Taboo magazine”) and also by an interaction between networks- choreographic/ theatrical/ media/virtual. The asymmetry stage-audience spontaneous becomes symmetry which catalyzes and transcodes the representation ( phenomenon specific to popular culture), the comments of spectators and on-line visitors extending with surprising fidelity aesthetic intentions (“ juego de formas, juego de angulos” comment on You Tube forum to “Gente” video- El Banch, or, on the same forum, “ me encanto, super-bien, la iluminacion, la coordinacion, genial etc.). Press, from the most theatrical and choreographic to great newspapers, confirms what we might call a globalizing co-presence of “ signifier” Căciuleanu. In on-line archives, thousands of articles of different format ( news, chronic, interview- confession, portrait, etc) allow connections between Romanian scene and vast cultural areas in which Gigi Căciuleanu`s shows are perceived as top artistic events. A significant argument is a reference at the very moment of writing: in the on-line edition of “ The New york Times” of January 27th , 2009 , a chronicle form the archive is posted ( aug.1987) which is dedicated to a series of events at the prestigious Guggenheim Museum in New York signed by John O Conner. “Tonight’s program looks at “Mito”, a new ballet being choreographed by Gigi Căciuleanu, a Romanian, for the Italian ballerina Carla Fracci”..(www.nytimes.opinion). Gigi Căciuleanu`s membership to the cultured expression form becomes in the system of intense media coverage a possible joint node of audiences in full era of cultural consumption. His artistic vision is folded to the new informational, cross-cultural, and communication pattern , updating itself in and through the new genetarions` imaginaries, through digital resources, but also in the excellency grill of cosmopolitan artistic networks in Europe and America.
Gigi Caciuleanu is one of the most important and original personalities in the world of contemporary dance. He is graduate of the Choreography High School in Bucharest, He studied at The Academy of Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. A decisive influence on his entire career came from the choreographer and professor Miriam Răducanu. Gigi Căciuleanu is a director, choreographer , professor and dancer and, since he left the country 30 years ago, he has been working with the world s greatest dancers and choreographers as Pina Bausch,Marius Constant, Rosella Hightower, John Neumayer, Jean Guizerix, Magui Marin. He created dance performances for the repertory of the Opera Houses in Paris, Lyon, Bucharest, Cardiff, Rome, Venice (La Fenice) and for other dance companies in Hamburg, Torino, Santiago de Chile, Montevideo, Sao Paolo. After 1990 he returned several times in Romania invited by The National Television, Eurodance Festival in Iasi, Sibiu International Theatre Festival, Oleg Danovski Ballet Theatre, Teatrul de Comedie. After 2001 he becomes director of the National Ballet of Chile, part of the Santiago de Chile University. He teaches the dancers and students that each part of the body, like the space and even the time ”has their own logic, consistency, color, madness, vibration, unlike anything else. Each dance has its own geometry or maybe its own astronomy”.
Bibliography
G. Căciuleanu-VVV Viento, Volumenes, Vectores, 2005,Trad. Mary Ann Beausire, Universidad de Chile
S.Ciurescu,Interview with Gigi Căciuleanu,în AMMunteanu, A.Fabrizius,Plural 2002- 2003, p.233-240
R.Ianegic,Void and Plenitude,2004,Ed. Institutului cultural Roman, Bucureşti
J.Lacan, Funcţia şi câmpul vorbirii, 2000,ed.Univers, Bucureşti
Ph. le Moal,coord.,Larousse, Dictionnaire de la Danse,Larousse-Bordas/HER,1999
A.M.Munteanu, A.Fabrizius,2002,The World of Romanian Dance,The Romanian
