Hijinks naturally ensue, as our hero comes face to face with a Tyrannosaurus rex, Theodore Roosevelt played, naturally, by Robin Williams and a bunch of Neanderthals. What if Mona Lisa could talk? On this particular day, various performances, from readings to guided tours or concerts, bring life to permanent and temporary displays. I experienced my long night in Paris with an evening of dance. Dance has slowly conquered the French art world for the past five years, for better and worse.
Conversely, the companies recruited for the Long Night of Museums usually have a significant impact. Last Saturday, Terpsichore, the muse of dance, worked her magic on a few institutions. Perhaps a stretch in wordplay, but the etymology conveys the group of bodies on this evening, that were obviously delighted to dance.
We were greeted inside by a grumpy chap. We could not help but feel for the young ballerinas lined up behind him. Velvet Underground to underground scarlet.
The colour may have been offtrack, but the soundtrack suited the setting. Afterwards, I ended up crossing the street alone with canned heat in my heels, and headphones. Stand in line like everyone else. Perfect timing. Three dancers dressed in black were already in place and about to start interacting with the surrounding sculptures, including The Walking Man on top of the marble stairwayβa sublime performance. It was already half past nine when I elbowed my way out.
Visitors were massed at the bottom of the stairs leading to the Dufy Room. Seizing indeed, because her twitchy gesture could hardly be called dance. The Gorgon-like womanβa clear reference to the Medusa exhibition next doorβproved more elegant than her stocky male partners.
