WHEN PIA MEETS MATHILDE...
Mathilde had a dream, a dream of a nice house to welcome and support artists. She made it. Now her house is live!
Mathilde is Mathilde Froustey, the SF Ballet's French star. Last Spring, we had met her, on the other side of the Bay Bridge, in her ''Maison Oakland'', where art prevails and sharing it is a rule as well as a lifestyle.
Summer passed by and Mathilde succeeded in recovering from her recent injury. She is back on stage and so excited with the upcoming Nutcracker this Winter and The Sleeping Beauty in January.
She welcomed Pia Vinson, French choreographer from Los Angeles, as her first artist in residence at La Maison Oakland. They happen to be French but it is not the reason why they met. They found each other via Instagram and it lead to a nice, creative, dancing, local, exciting and enthusiastic collaboration.
After barely 10 days at La Maison, Pia Vinson created a quatuor, a 25 minute long production, Memor.
Sabrina and I went to Oakland to attend one of the last rehearsals.
We loved the spirit, the gesture and the music. The choreography is based on an investigation about memories and traumas' impact on them. Pia gathered 4 dancers who followed her in this inspired journey: Dominique McDougal, Jillian Miller, Julienne et Eddy. The music has been composed and will be performed by Joey Lefitz.
Improvisation is very important in Memor, where the dancers will be performing based on first childhood memories told by people in the audience. It definitely contributes to the spontaneity and generosity of the performance.
Discover Memor on September 14, 2017 at Minnesota Project and on September 15, 2017 at La Maison Oakland.
> Pia Vinson at La Maison - September 15, 2017
Pia's flash portrait...
Pia Vinson was born and raised in France where she began her studies in tap dance and ballet at the age of 4 years old.
When she was 13, she enrolled in ballet major at the National School of Tarn where she studied with Dominique Thouroude, Agnès Nolténius and Marie-José Redon among many others.
By the age of 18, she was working for the National Opera of Montpellier as a dancer/mime in La Traviata, Manon Lescaut and other Opera productions.
In 2011, Pia moved to New York City and enrolled in the Professional Training Program at the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance with scholarship. There, she focused on developing her own choreographic vocabulary. Her knowledge in Ballet, Modern dance and Tap dance has shaped her movement language, but her passion for Gaga and Voguing highly influences her work and gives her great versatility.
In June 2015, Pia joined the Mark Morris Dance Center as an intern and assistant teacher with the Dance for Parkinson’s Disease Program before relocating to Los Angeles in May 2016.
Pia Vinson’s repertory has been showcased in various venues in France, New York City and Los Angeles. She has shared the stage with the Joffrey Ballet, Ballet Jazz Montréal and Martha Graham Company dancers.
> Click here too support Pia's project.
Photo by Sabrina Bot
Thank you so much! Mathilde and Pia for your warm welcome at the rehearsal. At la Maison Oakland, you are in the mood for laughing, chating, sharing thoughts, reasoning... Mathilde's talent goes definitely way beyond dancing!
> Pia Vinson at La Maison - September 15, 2017
RELATED ARTICLES
Photo by Sabrina Bot
La Maison Oakland... new art heaven to discover.
Mathilde Froustey's story is like the new Tales of the City... taking place in Oakland, Fruitvale. I went to La Maison Oakland to meet Mathilde with Sabrina Bot, her camera at hands. Here are our tales of a great sunny afternoon East Bay in words and images (...) Read more
