For another Asia you should see "Pichet Klunchun and myself", the encounter between Jérôme Bel and Pichet Klunchun, a traditional Thai dance performer. We can clearly see the risk in such a proposal – rubbishy exoticism, incommunicability -, but Bel shows such an honesty in the way he proceeds that this slightly danced lecture becomes a general science lesson and a lesson on life.

Bel asks Klunchun questions, about his profession, his projects, his fears, and therefore succeeds in penetrating a culture where gods, kings and… monkeys have an overwhelming status. This “Candide” in Siam verges on the ham acting, but always manages to captivate the audience by explaining his concepts on the choreography, on nudity or the lies on his age. Bel is a born storyteller, but Pichet Klunchun is not so bad too. He dances some steps of each one of the main characters of his codified universe – a man, a woman, a demon and a monkey – and resumes everything in an accelerated way, his vision of a thousand-years old art where it is forbidden to die on stage because it brings misfortune.

[…] The ways of dance are not so unfathomable anymore.

Philippe Noisette 06.07.2005