One of the most important figures in France’s choreographic scene, she makes guest appearances at many festivals (such as New York’s Springdance, Künsten Arts in Brussels, Festival de la Bâtie in Geneva, and Danças na Cidade in Lisbon). Artist-in-residence at IRCAM (2004−05) and Le Fresnoy – National Studio of Contemporary Art (2005−6), she later directed the CCRC Centre of Choreographic Research and Composition of the Royaumont Foundation (2008−12).
Myriam Gourfink’s choreography is based on yoga breathing techniques. Her idea is to seek for the inner need that leads to movement. Organisation of the body’s points of support is very strict and related to breathing, whereas the consciousness of space becomes fragile and unsteady. In this way, dance turns into a slow and painstaking movement in time. Knowledge about movement and space makes it possible to create choreographies without rehearsing in the studio. Once we understand the dance situation, one needs not move one’s body to feel the dance. The dance can be recreated by means of the senses and the mind alone.
Similarly to musicians, Myriam Gourfink uses a symbolic notation to create her geometric universe and poetic dance narratives. After studies with Jacqueline Challet Haas on the Laban Movement Analysis, Gourfink used this system to formalise the language of her own compositions. Each of her choreographies urges performers to become aware of their actions, to take decisions, and to confront the unexpected in the written score to which they must constantly react.
For the needs of some projects, the notation is based on computer programs, coding and generating the encoded compositions in real time. The program reads the complete score and generates millions of possible sequences of composition. The performer uses sensors to control the process of modification of the choreographic score appearing on the monitor. The computer is, then, at the heart of the spatial–temporal relations, as in the course of the composition it allows to structure the material in ever newer contexts.
