Over 100 years after it was written, the legendary Charles Beaudelaire poem Le Voyage will be staged in a one-woman performance showcasing song, dance and acting at the Monument Nationale theatre.
The show is a collaboration between Productions Geste and dancer-choreographer Emily Honegger who spent months interpreting and re-working the text to fit a theatrical context.
The poem which is divided into eight parts, takes us on a journey through a dialogue written by Baudelaire in 1861 to conclude his poetry compilation Les Fleurs du Mal.
Les Fleurs du mal was published in 1857, and subsequently banned by the French government for its use of profanity. Beaudelaire wrote Le Voyage as a conclusion to the book in response to the censorship.
Honegger drew much of her inspiration from this fact.
“What he was interested in was being heard and remembered, not necessarily loved. And as an artist I find that inspiring because it focuses me on the essential message of the work” she said.
The presentation makes use of key set pieces to allow the audience to feel the progression of the poem. In one scene Honegger uses a traditional Sikh knife called a “kirpan” in a martial arts – influenced dance. The dance symbolizes the fight for freedom from desire and dependency.
A graduate of Les Ateliers de Dance Moderne de Montr