Boris Charmatz. La Ronde at Grand Palais

La Ronde, wrote by Arthur Schnitzler tells the story about couples inextricably linked to each other at the same time as when the Grand Palais was under construction. In 1900, the venue opened its doors. Two opposites are at work in the piece: closure in the figure of the duo, and the infinite openness of the chain which moves and goes through the bodies. Schnitzler’s brand of love and sex between socially-recognisable characters: the actress soldier, prostitute and the count, among others..  is a raw, explicit one. The dramaturgy is a dance in which the couples never close themselves off, always encountering one another. The Grand Palais Paris is out of proportion, to the extent that any form of half-measure is inconceivable.