Unisson

An offbeat look at the beauty, power and dangers of collective movement.

"Unison is a curious way for humans to organize themselves," says Yaïr Barelli. We may wonder about the psychology, aims and purpose of a practice that is, paradoxically, astonishingly diverse. While the musical term designates a single sound played simultaneously, it entered dance through the corps de ballet. A protean ritual with manifold expressions, it is seen in stadiums, demonstrations, religious gatherings and, of course, military parades. Yaïr Barelli even includes lullabies and the collective siesta. With seven dancers, he presents a choreographic score that navigates between all these phenomena of belonging to a group, to the point of absurdity. Behind the beauty of unison, troubling abysses of uniformity are revealed.