the man and the bridge

Canadian dance maker Paul-André Fortier and Newcastle’s Dance City chose the Gateshead Millennium Bridge – a movable footbridge across the River Tyne, whose unique design allows tall ships to pass underneath by raising the footpath – to showcase the world premiere of “Solo 30x30.“ The live site-specific performance took place at 1 PM for 30 minutes and 30 days. Whatever the weather, Fortier persevered, reacting to it and the people crossing his path. Fortier describes the work as “900 minutes of intimacy between a man and a city.

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I caught up with Fortier in Newcastle, home to the friendly Geordies, for a telephone diary of the experience.

III 10

Today was the 10th performance, and it was the hardest. It rained. All other days, it’s been snowflakes, but today it was cold, very cold. I dance without gloves. Difficult. The rain was icy, and I do movements on the ground. My hands hurt afterwards. They were frozen and it made me lose concentration. Never imagined that. That’s part of the project: how weather affects the dancer. It all poses a million and one questions about the profession. I have to find a way to stay focused in spite of the wind, the conditions.
Don’t know if I’ll ...