A case study in cultural diplomacy

The France Moves Dance Festival
New York, April 23 - May 6, 2001

France Moves was a festival of French contemporary dance presented in New York from April 23 to May 6, 2001.  It brought ten French choreographers and their companies -some of them already famous in the United States, such as Maguy Marin or Fred Bendongué, together with others presented here for the first time, including Philippe Decouflé and Josef Nadj. Six different theaters collaborated to present the French companies, including some of the best-established dance venues in New York: the Joyce Theater, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, The New Victory Theater and The Kitchen.

In addition to more than 40 dance performances, there were a number of other related events: films, video installations, photography exhibits and panel discussions, hosted by organizations likes of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, PS1, the Guggenheim Museum and New York University.

The festival was a major event for the dance world, with a FF 13 to 14 million budget (US$ 1.7 million). About one third of the funding was provided by public subsidies, coming from the Ministry of Culture and from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs through the AFAA (Association Française d'Action Artistique), from the cultural services division of the French Embassy in New York, from regional and local government and from ADAMI, the Société Civile pour l'Administration des Droits des Artistes et Musiciens Interprètes. Second tier funding came from private sponsors, firms and foundations, both French and American. A third tier came from tickets sales - the box office did well. The split among the three sources was about equal.

French Minister of Culture Catherine Tasca and a number of diplomatic and administrative officials came to New York for the occasion. The object was to present a specific generation of French choreographers - in a sense returning America's courtesy of bringing contemporary dance and artistic innovation to France in the late 1960s and early 1970s.  Various events have nourished this dialogue between France and America in the past, including a series of French performances at the American Dance Festival in 1983 and a mini dance festival in Washington D.C. in 1993.  French companies regularly tour in the States, but France Moves was an historic first in terms of scope, professional focus, budget and character.

The idea for the festival was conceived several years ago as an initiative of the AFAA, which then co-opted the Ministry of Culture. An Artistic Director was appointed and an ad hoc team formed, including production director, press and public relations officers, marketing coordinator, graphic and web designers. The programming evolved out of dialogue among the various partners. The American presenters were invited to France to see the works that France wanted to show, and careful attention was paid to pairing artists with appropriate venues.

A particular image of contemporary France clearly emerged from the selection prepared by Artistic Director Yorgos Loukos - with a strong emphasis on diversity, multiculturalism and assimilation. Most of the French choreographers were second-generation immigrants from a wide variety of backgrounds. Loukos himself is of Greek descent. The accent placed upon the mixture of ethnic origins, cosmopolitanism, openness to the world and métissage and "France plurielle" - a successful example of the melting pot and multi-lingualism - was similar to that celebrated when France won the Football World Cup three years ago. A quote from Edouard Glissant was cited in a panel discussion on the work of Montalvo-Hervieu: "un des buts de l'art est de nous habituer à l'idée que l'autre n'est pas l'ennemi."

Discussion inevitably focused on comparisons between France and the United States. Choreographers compared key figures and mentors.  Alwin Nikolaïs deeply influenced the French dance world, and while Merce Cunningham is part of the official syllabus in the French dance conservatoires, the US has been more inescapably exposed to Martha Graham.  Working methods are different, too: in the US, for example, the predominant mode is "work with what you have at your disposal"- usually very little - whereas an American choreographer remembers hearing French technicians say, "Tell us what you want and we'll work on bringing it to you."

French dance aesthetics in general reflect this greater affluence: performances are very visual, if not theatrical, they have a distinct design quality, more extensive use of  props and generally more lush production values. not to mention a characteristically French commitment to ideas, flirting with concepts and social awareness.

The discussion also addressed the issue of the impact of different funding regimes. At both conferences, Artistic Director Yorgos Loukos provided a short summary on the historic antecedents of French contemporary dance, and it was interesting to see how dance can be related to political issues. French dance until the 1960s was overwhelmingly dominated by ballet and the Paris Opera, but a conjunction of elements revolutionized the dance landscape in the late 1960s and early 1970s. American contemporary dancers' and choreographers' evangelizing to the French dance world had an impact. Perhaps more significantly, with Algerian independence and the social upheavals of May 1968, France acknowledged it had irremediably lost its colonial Empire. The French government moved to support contemporary dance and other forms of contemporary culture and mobilized them in support of decentralization. French central and regional government, cities and regions now cooperate in funding dance and especially the Centres chorégraphiques nationaux.

The discussion thus grew into a general "praisefest" of the French system. Above all, American artists participating in the panel discussions paid tribute to the fact that culture in France is a more essential part of society, which acknowledges the contribution of artists, whereas culture has a more minor place in education in the US. French financial public support, it was suggested, is liberating for choreographers, who can devote more time and energy to creating rather than to getting by. More resources also bring the opportunity to experiment with highly sophisticated scenography. An example cited was that last year, the money spent on dance by the city council of Lyon was more than the entire dance budget of the NEA. This is not necessarily the best way to compare the two funding systems, given the tax-deductible support in the US that is channeled through foundations, corporations and individuals. (Nor was there any discussion parallel to that currently running in the visual arts world on the soporific effect on standards of creativity of high levels of direct financial support in France.)

France, like the US, has traditionally believed in the importance of having an external policy in cultural matters.  In the panel discussions assembling Yorgos Loukos and his team of choreographers, there was a strong sense of representation and their role as diplomatic emissaries.

In fact, France Moves may be viewed as a case study in French cultural policy. France is still very much concerned about its "rank" and grandeur on the international stage. It continues to promote the "exception culturelle française" and to seek political, intellectual and artistic influence. France Moves constitutes an avowed example of "politique volontariste" in support of contemporary dance on the part of the Ministry of Culture and in support of French culture more generally on the part of the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Characterized by its short length, high intensity and consequent high visibility, France Moves was very much a high profile marketing event, successfully presenting a coherent and positive image, promoting economic interests and creating the buzz that is sought by every event organizer. At a time when French cultural diplomacy is being questioned along with the coherence and rationality of its network, a smooth and uncontroversial event such as France Moves was no doubt a useful boost (cf the Rapport d'information n° 2924 sur les centres culturels français à l'étranger by the French National Assembly http://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/rap-info/i2924.asp).

From the point of view of the organizers, the evaluation of such an event is three-fold. Financially, it was considered "sound" and satisfactory: the budget was balanced, thanks to private funds and direct income (tickets sales) - no Adelaide-type crises.  Critically, France Moves was also a hit. It received wide press coverage in both the US and France. The New York Times and Le Monde covered the event extensively, along with other main press titles, and critics were generally positive. The public provided the same support: Bianca Li's run was extended, Boris Charmatz was sold out, Philippe Decouflé was discovered with enthusiasm and Prejlocaj sold very well. 

The third way of evaluating such a festival is through the reaction of professionals, namely American presenters. In addition to the general public events, France Moves included a behind-the-scenes, 'for professionals only' component. For four days, a group of 40 major American presenters were invited to attend performances and meet the French participants. A one-day conference explored such themes as the French milieu, its administrative and financial structure, and perspectives on the future of dance. It is too early to evaluate the outcome of such an encounter, although some discussions are already taking place between participating French companies and presenters for the 2002 to 2004 seasons. Other French companies that were not included in the festival are also setting up contracts, and this, too, may be considered as happening in the wake of France Moves. Last but not least, the organizers are now considering rolling out France Moves festivals worldwide, starting with Japan.

France Moves is an example of the increasing attention devoted by cultural organizers to festivals as an efficient way of bringing visibility and discernible results. It is the kind of event that is easily identifiable by audiences and journalists alike, creates a high-energy sense of happening, and satisfies both funders and organizers.

Contemporary dance in New York may not be the toughest of sells, but the event does seem to have reached or even surpassed its goals and underlined the efficiency of the festival as a well-honed tool for cultural diplomacy.

Jeanne Bouhey

jbouhey@aeaconsulting.com

AEA Consulting LLC

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