100% polyester, objet dansant n° (à définir)

“100% polyester: an endless dance, a dialogue through movement”

 

In 1999, Christian Rizzo designed a double costume for a choreographer. But although it

was designed to be a real pretext for movement, it was not selected. This inertia, this idea

of it being stored away in a box, became a question: what would a costume be that was

not limited to the body, but could exist independently of it? This questioning of the costume

as a vehicle for dance marked the starting point of a new adventure.

 

For Rizzo, the idea of creating dance through costume, without necessarily involving the

body, was a radical concept. He decided to collaborate with Caty Olive, whose work with

light complemented and enriched this line of thinking. She conceives of light not simply as

a staging tool, but as a movement in its own right. It was their shared vision that would

nourish and give birth to 100% polyester.

 

Originally conceived and presented as a show with a beginning and an end, 100%

polyester has evolved over time, questioning the relationship between the work and the

audience. Invited to various venues, often not dedicated to dance, this piece has become

a testing ground for the conditions necessary for its reception. The initial questions about

the duration of the show gradually gave way to a broader reflection on time, experience,

and timelessness. The costume and the lighting, independent of the physical presence of a

dancer, then engage in an inseparable and continuous dialogue, a time that unfolds in its

own autonomy. Neither beginning nor end, a dance that exists relentlessly, whether

observed or not, like a memory that is always active in its own suspension.

 

This project highlights the essence of dance as a fluid and transitory notion. 100% polyester

thus invites a profound reflection on the notion of performance, on how dance can live and

unfold beyond expectations and conventional formats.

 

Since 100% polyester, Caty Olive and Christian Rizzo have worked together on more than

thirty projects.

 

Creation June 23rd, 1999 . La Ménagerie de Verre, Paris (France) — in the framework of Festival Les inaccoutumés

 

Creation by Christian Rizzo & Caty Olive

Administration, Production by Les Indépendances, Hélène Moulin-Rouxel, and Colin Pitrat

Thanks to Mannux, Pascale Paoli, Catarina Campino, Emmanuelle Huynh, João Fiadero / lab7, and the Ménagerie de verre team

 

Production by l’association fragile

 

L’association fragile is supported by the Direction générale de la création artistique, Ministère de la Culture.

Christian Rizzo is an associate artist at the CN D in 2025 and 2026.