Why will the events be organised around workshops ?

Doubts and uncertainties invariably beset the young professional. This is what led Marie-Josée Redont to work closely alongside Dr. Olivier Troisier for nearly thirty years. A pioneer in rehabilitation techniques, head of the Hôpital Foch’s Department of Orthopaedic Medicine, Dr. Troisier was way ahead of his time in spinal rehabilitation and physical medicine. In 2002, Dr Troisier, Miss Redont and the leading physiotherapist Alain Dorard published Education vertébrale, verrouillage, déverrouillage : pédagogie et techniques (Editions Masson), the fruit of much experiment.

Very often, Miss Redont’s master Yves Brieux, would quote Noverre’s words:

"As a youth, I studied osteology, which has been of the greatest value to my own lessons: it shortens the process of training and sheds a clearer light on the demonstration of principles. Osteology has taught me to disentangle the web of causes that may prevent proper execution (…) and has enabled me to design my lessons through close study of each pupil’s conformation."

Noverre, "Renaissance de l'Art de la danse" , Ninth Lettre sur la danse (1807 Edition)

At the age of 34, Miss Redont left the stage to teach, and familiarise herself with a remarkable system of dance notation, that of Pierre Conté. At the time, the Conté system was taught by Michelle Nadal at the Sorbonne University; its “solfège of the body” was to prove a wonderful tool for joining the strands of music, dance technique and pedagogy.

Passed on from her masters, Miss Redont’s watchword is the Least Action Principle – the greatest possible efficiency for the least possible effort. To that end, in these workshops the arms and back will be given systematic attention, as will the celebrated traits of the French school – a fully-articulated foot, sparkling batterie and filigree-pointe work, thus “shedding a clearer light on the demonstration of principles".