“To recreate on stage a world with renewed norms, a form of ecology of new relationships in which the public will be able to wander, get lost or be filled with all these sensations.” Born from the vision of choreographer Éric Minh Cuong Castaing, the “_p/\rc___” show brings together on the large stage of the Théâtre du Châtelet, professional dancers, children with motor disabilities, caregivers and parents, as well as a dozen telepresence robots piloted by neuro-atypical adolescents. Dance is thus associated with technology to create a new form of inclusive art where the movements of bodies, able-bodied or not, are reinvented.
When telepresence comes into play
If _p/\rc___, the work of the Shonen company, is based on the atypical motor skills of a dozen children aged between 4 and 13, most of whom cannot walk, telepresence also comes into the dance. It allows young performers, unable to go on stage, to move and interact with the bodies and objects present on set. One of them can only move his fingers. The Beam Pro® robot represents a real phygital avatar without which he could not express himself on stage. From his hospital room and in spite of his illness, telepresence thus provides him with an unprecedented modality of presence.
An outstanding ballet
_p/\rc___ breaks free from any constraint linked to illness or distance. Each obstacle is transformed into an opportunity to reveal the quintessence of movement. From the games to the lifts that give birth to living slides, the faces of each person shine and let the immense joy of being able to express their perception of living together on stage shine through. Because on the extended stage of the Châtelet, under the eyes of the public, is reflected a true alchemy between professional dancers, children, present or telepresent, disabled or not, and robots. An alchemy born from the listening, the softness and the confidence granted to the other from which comes the cries of happiness of these children, free to move in spite of their limits.
Inclusive Art & Telepresence
Through this performance, Éric Minh Cuong Castaing also reinvents the world of dance, but also of art in general. He demonstrates that even the performing arts can free themselves from distance, thanks to telepresence. They are not simple rolling robots that move on the stage, but rather a form of expression out of the ordinary embodying, in the purest way, the gesture and the impulse of a human body, yet sometimes so far away and so devoid of its motricity.
With _p/\rc___, telepresence robots are immersed in an overwhelming immersive experience and demonstrate once again how relevant they are to our society, including the art world. You have a telepresence project for inclusion? Contact us to discuss it.
