Odyssey

FEDORA
VAN CLEEF & ARPELS
Dance Prize 2027
Shortlist

Odyssey

France
Centre Chorégraphique National de Créteil et du Val-de-Marne

Odyssey © Benoîte FANTON i

Bringing together dancers from Mehdi Kerkouche’s company and the Bordeaux National Opera Ballet, this work translates the mythical dimension of Homer’s poem into a contemporary language whose themes serve as a powerful basis to explore the notions of voyage, migration and encounter in today’s world.

Presentation

We are living through a time when questions of travel and migration lie at the heart of political debate, often fueled by radicalized discourse and a growing fear of the other. In this context, the notion of the journey has become essential. To explore it, Mehdi Kerkouche draws on one of the most timeless sources of our collective imagination: Homer’s Odyssey.

By confronting this mythic narrative with the contemporary world, powerful emotions emerge. We are reminded that our collective imagination has often veiled the violence of the battles and the brutality of the trials that permeate the Odyssey. Here, the focus is not on the gods or the specific characters of Homer’s narrative, but on what resonates in today’s world through its powerful imaginary. The work explores what nourishes our encounters, the acceptance of the Other and the art of composing with difference, as well as rejection, confrontation, tolerance, and the importance of learning to engage with the unknown. It further examines the risks and fears inherent in working with the unfamiliar, along with both the positive and negative outcomes that emerge from such encounters.
Mehdi Kerkouche envisions a grand choreographic fresco. The dancers' bodies first appear in their purest simplicity. Bathed in light, they gradually merge into a giant wave, their costumes evoking sunlight or moonlight on water. This soothing, hypnotic movement slowly transforms into a storm. Through virtuosity and the intertwining of bodies, the dancers embody the upheavals of the epic.
At the heart of this creation lies a central question: how can we live together and embrace the other through the virtuosity of our respective techniques? The power of this project stems from the encounter between two exceptional companies: the ONB, whose dancers master (neo)classical, contemporary languages, and the CCN, whose identity is rooted in creating a shared choreographic language that celebrates each performer’s individuality and technique.