L'ombre [The Shadow]
Choreographed tale by Menka Nagrani

productions des pieds des mains This piece was inspired by the fairy tale of the same name, “The Shadow,” by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. It is a two-part theatrical dance duet that tells the extraordinary story of a scholar and his shadow.

Like many of Andersen’s stories, this one speaks deeply to all of us. It tells of the pain that comes from being misfits—as we all are, without exception—according to the romantic conception of destiny that we hold dear. It rues our inability to fully enjoy the sometimes fleeting moments of happiness that we are given and secretly curses the fact that we are all fated to be unhappy and to die. The tale shows the tragic contrast between our unfulfilled dreams and harsh reality. Choreographed to the music of Tom Waits, the dynamic movements leave room for occasional improvisation.

L’ombre was created for the Different Artists in Residence project, and presented in Japan (Tsukuba and Tokyo) as part of an international event in honour of Hans Christian Andersen.