A Ten-Year Journey in Contemporary Dance by Nadia Vadori-Gauthier: A Decade of “Dances for Our Era”
**A Decade of Contemporary Dance by Nadia Vadori-Gauthier: Celebrating Ten Years of “Dances for Our Time”**
Within the sphere of contemporary art and performance, few initiatives resonate with the essence of perseverance, creativity, and everyday resilience as profoundly as **Nadia Vadori-Gauthier’s “Une Minute de Danse par Jour” (One Minute of Dance Per Day)**. As it reaches its tenth anniversary in 2024, this dynamic and evolving art project has not only characterized a decade of contemporary dance but has also forged a subtle daily practice of transformation, resistance, and optimism.
### A Moment of Movement: The Beginning
The endeavor commenced in January 2015 in Paris, just a day after the Charlie Hebdo terrorist attacks that impacted France and the globe. In response to this shared trauma, choreographer and performance artist **Nadia Vadori-Gauthier** opted for a profound yet understated act: she would film herself dancing for one minute each day, in public or private spaces, indoors or outdoors, irrespective of weather, mood, or situation.
What began as a lyrical gesture of peace and presence transformed into a continuous thread of over **3,650 daily performances**, culminating in upwards of **60 hours of distinct dance material** that capture the intricacies of life, the changing seasons, and the evolving socio-political landscape of the world.
### Dancing the Everyday
Vadori-Gauthier’s daily dances are grounded in the fundamental principles of contemporary dance—improvisation, embodiment, and location specificity. Each one-minute creation responds to the moment—a specific setting, a piece of architecture, an encounter, a political climate, or even a transient emotion. From the tranquil courtyards of Paris to lively metro platforms, urban parks, and moments within her home, she invites the audience into an intimate yet universally relatable experience.
One of the most intriguing aspects of the project is its egalitarian essence: the videos are shared daily through social media and her dedicated website, forming a rich public archive. This transparency prompts viewers to rethink the divisions between performer and audience, art and life.
### Beyond Performance: Art as a Political and Poetic Endeavor
Throughout the years, “Une Minute de Danse par Jour” has demonstrated itself to be more than a mere performance project—it is a continuous act of poetic defiance. Whether addressing climate change demonstrations, political turbulence, or societal calamities like the Notre-Dame fire or the COVID-19 pandemic, many of Vadori-Gauthier’s brief performances act as intuitively choreographed reflections on our world.
The daily dance emerges as a method to reclaim the body as a site of expression in a landscape frequently marked by alienation and hyper-efficiency. Thus, her work resonates with the ideas of French philosopher Michel de Certeau, particularly regarding how everyday actions (like walking—or in this instance, dancing) function as vehicles of subtle resistance against dominant societal structures.
### Interdisciplinary Connections and Collaborations
Over the decade, Vadori-Gauthier has broadened her initiative to incorporate collaborations with visual artists, photographers, poets, musicians, and fellow dancers. She has organized exhibitions, installations, and live performances that merge her expanding archive with sound art, literature, and political dialogue.
Her educational background and career as both a performer and researcher greatly enrich the conceptual framework of the project. With training in philosophy and aesthetics, her work frequently invites both scholarly and emotional interpretations, blurring the distinctions between intellectual engagement and sensory experience.
### The Poetics of Persistence
Sustaining a daily artistic practice over a decade is no trivial task, particularly in a discipline as physically and emotionally taxing as dance. Vadori-Gauthier’s dedication reflects a contemplation of time itself. In an era of fleeting attention and swiftly shifting trends, “Une Minute de Danse par Jour” stands as a counter-current—a measured, intentional, and deeply human project that underscores the importance of enduring presence.
Each minute-long video serves as a microcosm: a concentrated essence of life at that moment. When viewed collectively, however, they evolve into a vast visual diary of the 2010s and early 2020s—chronicling not only personal growth but a shared cultural and historical voyage.
### Celebrating Ten Years
To commemorate this ten-year milestone, Vadori-Gauthier and her collective at Le Corps collectif have organized **dedicated events, exhibitions, and publications** throughout France and beyond. These initiatives encompass archival showcases, immersive installations featuring hundreds of videos, a new book delving into the philosophy and methodology behind the project, and participatory workshops inviting others to take part in crafting their own “minute dances.”
As the project embarks on its next decade, it continues to resonate with both dance professionals and the wider public alike. It serves as a reminder that dance transcends the stage—it belongs to every space in the world and every