2013 - 2015. Paris in 1900: Music and Dance from Indochina - Le-Tuyen Nguyen

Paris in 1900: Music and Dance from Indochina

By Le-Tuyen Nguyen

Indochina Theatre is a film-making project inspired by the special performance of the French ballerina Cleo de Merode and Vietnamese musicians at the 1900 Paris World Exposition. At their first meeting in July 2013 in Saigon, Le-Tuyen Nguyen (Researcher, Australian National University) presented his original idea and film story to Huy Moeller (Film Director, Saigon International Film School) and Ngo Thi Hanh (Scriptwriter, Phuong Nam Corporation).

After the meeting, the three founding members decided to form the Indochina Theatre project. The launch of the Indochina Theatre project took place on Friday 27 September 2013 in Saigon and subsequently in Sydney on Sunday 24 November 2013. The project includes research and production of documentary films prior to the final historical drama film which will be set in Vietnam and France in the late 19thcentury and the present day.

24 November 2013, Sydney

Geraldine Balcazar (Dancer, Choreographer) was invited by Le-Tuyen Nguyen to interpret and re- dance Cleo’s dance performed at the 1900 Paris World Exposition. She researched Cleo, her personality and looked at the extensive amount of portraits, to take on Cleo’s persona while re-dancing her dance. Geraldine has been accompanied by the Bamboo Flute Ensemble in her live dances of Cleo De Merode.

Photo of Geraldine Balcazar in the Cleo costume standing with Le Tuyen Nguyen

Photo: Le-Tuyen Nguyen and Geraldine Balcazar who is wearing a reproduction of Cléo de Mérode’s dance costumes, which was originally designed by the famous Parisian designer Landolff. Photo taken by the ABC at the Gala Concert of the World Festival of Vietnamese Traditional Music in Sydney on Saturday, 15 August, 2015.

Danse de l’Indo-chine recreated: Geraldine Balcazar as Cléo de Mérode

Dancer Geraldine Balcazar performed a recreation of Cléo de Mérode’s 'Dance de l'Indochine'. The dance was performed at the Paris Exposition in 1900 and was the earliest time in history that Vietnamese music was exposed to the Western world.

"It's very mystical. So to me to dance to the music was very much like escaping the now, the current. Including the character of Cleo is very ghostly like, and the music inspired me to go into another era and into another space. It's like bringing an old soul to life" - Geraldine Balcazar

Paris in 1900: Music and Dance from Indochina

By Le-Tuyen Nguyen

"It's very mystical. So to me to dance to the music was very much like escaping the now, the current. Including the character of Cleo is very ghostly like, and the music inspired me to go into another era and into another space. It's like bringing an old soul to life" - Geraldine Balcazar

2014 This is so contemporary: Tino Sehgal

I acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of this Country on which we live and work. I recognise their continuing connection to place: to the land, the water and culture. I pay my respect to their Elders past, present and emerging.