Qui a tué Lolita ? [Rumba 2ème cabaret]

The title of this second work contains, this time, a message addressed not only to the choreographic and institutional community that does not believe in Lolita’s “collective adventure,” but also to each member of the group, who is thus called upon to embrace this ultra-democratic adventure.

“Who Killed Lolita?” is a choreographic enigma, a transposition into dance of the cinematic language of film noir from the 1940s and 1950s.

The collective decides to shut itself away behind the closed doors of a seedy cabaret; the aim of this choice is to contrast contemporary dance with cabaret acts: striptease, songs, acrobatics, and ballroom dancing. Here, Lolita establishes a recurring theme in her work: the shift from abstraction to narrative and vice versa, and the integration of so-called popular choreographic elements, which she asserts are of equal importance to so-called highbrow elements.

The creative process once again relies on individual work in the areas of dance, music, lighting, and set design. Before joining the group, each participant must define their own space, their “character,” and propose possible interactions with the others.

The work on steps and movements in space weaves a web of palpable tensions, just as the hyper-definition of the “characters” and their deviations navigate the boundary between contemporary abstract dance and theater, between life and death.

The costumes and accessories unearthed at the flea market create angular silhouettes reminiscent of noir fiction archetypes. Double-breasted suits, Borsalino hats, gabardine coats, contraband cigarettes, tuxedos, patent leather loafers and high heels, evening gowns, jewelry, fake dollars, and revolvers. Black and white with a few splashes of color.

Black curtains are used to define the space; a white screen at the back of the stage displays projected images that evoke the settings and characters in the opening credits of the play.

The aesthetic of a black-and-white thriller. Light and shadow.
High contrast. Refracted light alluding to doors and windows.

The “vintage” soundtrack is the result of careful research and features gems from the Radio France music library. The selected tracks provide the framework for the various scenes, creating a shifting dynamic. Thus, the rumba “Bakiff” (1941) by Juan Tizol (trombone) with Ray Nance (violin), masterfully arranged by Duke Ellington, serves as the backdrop for a long dance sequence, where several scenes unfold simultaneously, as in a cinematic tracking shot, and it is the music that guides the viewer’s gaze.

Film dialogue, sound effects, and haunting loops created from Revox tape recordings underpin the scenes of deviance, evoking a sense of unease and a certain melancholy. The theme from the film *Anastasia* (1956), composed by Alfred Newman, accompanies the show’s opening and closing credits.
The show premiered in January 1982 at the Théâtre Duchamp-Villon in Rouen after six months of rehearsals, which included lengthy improvisation sessions, choreographic work informed by photographic analysis, and training in ballroom dancing.

“Who Killed Lolita?” went on to achieve significant critical and popular success, with over 150 performances both in Paris (including a two-week run at the Théâtre de la Bastille, featuring guest artists in the opening act) and across Europe, and was invited back to Brazil; The play was revived in France in 1996 and again in 2016 with the same cast, fulfilling a promise made when the troupe disbanded in 1990.

Performers: Thierry Azam, Marcia Barcellos, Philippe Chevalier, Catherine Langlade, Daria Elies, Alain Michon, Dominique Rebaud, Arnaud Sauer, Santiago Sempere, Éric Wurtz.

Production: Aide à la création Ministère de la Culture, Groupe Lolita.

Tour in France: Festival Châteauvallon, Festival Montpellier, Nevers, Vaulx-en-Velin, Beaubourg Paris, Yerres, Bezons, Cognac, Châtellerault, Perpignan, Bagnolet, Bezons, Montluçon, Abbaye des Prémontrés, Poitiers, Nevers, Beaubourg-Paris, 2 weeks at the Théâtre de la Bastille-Paris, Tour in Spain: Barcelone, Valence, Tour in Brazil: Sesc Sao Paulo, Curitiba, Teatro San Pedro Sao Paulo,San Bernardo do Campo-Rio de Janeiro, Tour in Denmark: Copenhague, Aarhus, Odense, Tour in Germany: Munich

1996 2 weeks at the Théâtre 18 – Paris

2016 Preview in Grasse Studio Castafiore and creation at the Art Danse in Dijon, Athis Mons.

Performers: Thierry Azam, Marcia Barcellos, Philippe Chevalier, Catherine Langlade, Daria Elies, Alain Michon, Dominique Rebaud, Arnaud Sauer, Santiago Sempere, Eric Wurtz.

Production: Aide à la création Ministère de la Culture, Groupe Lolita.