Pascal Benichou - Of Spirit and Matter

September 12, 2008

The The Phatory LLC is pleased to announce Of Spirit and Matter an installation of digital imagery by Pascal Benichou. The exhibition opens on September 12 and will run through November 16, with an artist reception held on Thursday, September 11, between 7 and 9:00 p.m.

As a soloist and choreographer, Pascal Benichou is well versed in the types of dialogue a dancer can share with an audience. In his current body of work at The Phatory, Benichou expands the conversational possibilities of performance through his use of the camera and the freedom it allows him as a dancer to work outside the formal confines of the theatrical venue. Through photographs, slide shows, and video, his viewers are brought beyond the artificiality of the stage and enter into poignant moments where he surrenders flesh and blood to consort with the forces he discovers in nature directly.

Pascal Benichou’s dance experience covers many territories, from being a ballet dancer with such companies as San Francisco Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, Metropolitan Opera, and New York City Opera to creating and dancing his modern works. Pascal’s other credits include performing the lead dance at the opening ceremonies at the Nagano Olympics in Japan and working closely with contemporary choreographers such as Lucia Dugloszewski and Martha Clark. Since spending more time outside of New York City and away from the theater environment, Benichou endeavors are now focused on lens-based performances.