Rodin and Dance

RODIN AND THE WORLD OF DANCE

From the 1890s onward, the art of dance was transformed, with new experiences revolutionizing what was sometimes an urbane and codifi ed form of entertainment. Rodin’s keen interest in these innovations led him to meet such exceptional figures as Hanako and Loïe Fuller. A particular highlight was his encounter with the dancers of the Cambodian royal ballet during their visit to Paris to perform at the World’s Fair. When they left, in the sculptor’s words, they “took the beauty of the world with them.” Inspired by his complicity with the shapers of this revolution, Rodin associated dance and sculpture, both of which explore the possibilities of the human body. He turned his attention to all forms of dance: regional and oriental folk dances, cabaret performances, outstanding contemporary dancers, and dance as it was practiced in Antiquity – an interest he shared with Isadora Duncan.

THE EXULTATION OF THE BODY

The exhibition, centered on the “Dance Movements” series, will survey all Rodin’s research and experimentation. The sculptor used assemblages to convey the body’s tensions, inventing audacious portés that combine effects
of void and solid, balance and imbalance. Rodin’s creativity focused on expressing the life force of the body, its
vital energy, strength and equilibrium – just as dance explores the body’s relationship with space and weightlessness through extension, flexibility and freedom of line.

CURATOR

Christine Lancestremère, Curator of Cultural Heritage