Cast
Serge Campardon — Choreographer
Florence Faure — Dancer
Cisco Aznar — Dancer
Marta Mella — Dancer
Yannick Rayne — Dancer
David Rodrigo — Dancer
Kathy Thompson — Dancer
Jean Leclerc — Comments
Program notes
Choreographer Serge Campardon and his “Nomade” Company tell a poorly known episode of France history: the Basque emigration in America.
Ex-member of Maurice Béjart’s ballet, Serge Campardon creates “Basques” Impressions from the Pacific for his company “Nomades”, on a subject closely related to his family history: the emigration of Basque people to the Americas at the end of the 19th century.
His grand-father was born in the French region Béarn, at the foot of the Pyrenees, and emigrated in California at the beginning of the 20th century. At that time, the young Basque people, affected by an extreme poverty in their mountains, left for new territories, seeking for fortune. His father came back.
Proud of his family’s sort, Serge Campardon worked with musician Beñat Achiary, who is very influenced by the Basque language and traditions. Together, they took inspiration in the folklore of their region and bear witness of this exodus, telling the nostalgia of the Basque people for their sheep and their struggle to start over.
In 1999, movie maker Kamal Musale became interested in the creation of “Basques” Impressions from the Pacific. In a report, he captures the big steps of the creation process of the piece and uses archived images to support and complete the artists’ testimonies. The dancers are filmed from the start on, that is to say from their appropriation of the story to their participation to Basque traditional festivals, including the first rehearsals.
This movie was rewarded in many festivals and received the prize of the best documentary and the Grand Prix du Jury at the Carina Arti Competition in Paris.