Les Origines de l'homme

by Alain Germain

Paperback

About the author

Having first studied music and choreography, Alain Germain then turned his attention to architecture, earning diplomas from both the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs and the Architecture Department of the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts.

Supported by the pianist Arthur Rubinstein and the visual artist Béatrice Casadesus, he was awarded the prestigious Fondation de la Vocation Prize.

In 1972, he founded his own company whose originality resides in the mixing of different art forms: music, singing, dance, theatre and the visual arts. Over the years, he has created many productions not only in Paris but around the world.

At the same time, he has been invited to teach and to give workshops by the dance, theatre and music departments of New York University, Columbia University, University of California, Los Angeles California Institute of the Arts, Pennsylvania University, Yale University, la Chartreuse de Villeneuve-les-Avignon, la Sorbonne, the French Fashion University Esmod of Dubaï …

In the 70s and 80s, Alain Germain’s contemporary musical theatre creations attracted a lot of attention, not only in Europe but in the United States as well. Some of the productions were, amongst many others: « Choreography for a Masquerade » (National Gallery of the Grand Palais …), « The Pianist Knits » (Theatre Carré Silvia Montfort …), « Midnight for Giants » based on music by Claude Ballif (Maison des Arts of Créteil, Museum of Modern Art Paris, Espace Pierre Cardin … / all of the above in Paris, France), « The Moon Sunny Side Up » (Marais Festival in Paris, Whitney Museum in New York, Summer Festival of Bonn in Germany …), « The Ambulant Widows » (Art in the City Festival in Paris, Theatre Basel in Switzerland, Summer Festival of Bonn …), « The Counter Dance of Other Times » (Theatre Carré Silvia Montfort, Theatre Basel, Summer Festival of Bonn …), « The Other Mozart » (Summer Musical Festival of New York, Metz Opera House & Theatre Caen …), « The Merseburg Incantation » (Museum of Modern Art Paris, Theatre Basel, Summer Festival of Bonn, Columbia & Pennsylvania Universities USA …), « A Little Musical Comedy » (Centre Georges Pompidou / Beaubourg in Paris …), « In the Shadow of the Garden Years » (Marais Festival in Paris, Wadworth Theatre in Los Angeles, Opera Houses of Bonn & Cologne, National Opera of Paris …), « Directions for Counter Use » (Rencontres of the Carreau du Temple in Paris …), « The Old Ladies from Osnabrück » based on music by Ginette Keller (Osnabrück Opera House in Germany, the Chartreuse of Villeneuve-lès-Avignon …), Dracula based on music by Claude Ballif (Festival Estival of Paris, Theatre of Paris, Metz Opera House …), « Amorous Salvage » (Palais des Glaces Theatre in Paris …), « Three Opera Folies for Three Women Composers » based on music by Isabelle Aboulker, Ginette Keller and Francine Aubin (Royal Opera of Wallonie in Belgium, Capucins Theatre of Luxembourg, Winter Festival of Avignon, Espace Jacques Prévert of Aulnay-sous-Bois …), « Inventory » with the dancers Janine Charrat and Jean Babilée based on music by Isabelle Aboulker (Centre Georges Pompidou / Beaubourg in Paris …), « A Piano for Two Pianists » based on music by Alain Margoni (Espace Jacques Prévert in Aulnay-sous-Bois, Capucins Theatre in Luxembourg …), « The Anouilhesques » (Saint-Etienne Opera House, Potinière Theatre in Paris …).

Alain Germain has collaborated with numerous contemporary composers who have written original music for his company: Claude Ballif (« Dracula » and « Midnight for Giants »), Ginette Keller (« The Old Ladies of Osnabrück » and « The Farewell of a Diva Without Memory »), Isabelle Aboulker (« From the Other Side of the Mirror », « Inventory », « The Scientists and the French Revolution », « Champagne Notes » and « Chassé-croisé » ), Francine Aubin (« Dinner à la française »), Alain Margoni (« A Piano for Two Pianists »), Ichiro Nodaïra (« Buffon côté jardin »), Frédéric Durieux (« The O