Actress Juliette Binoche puts her body on the line for dance

You know Juliette Binoche from such contemporary dance theater productions as … well, actually, she hasn’t done any dance theater before. Internationally famous as a film star, Binoche has dazzled audiences in such films as Blue and The English Patient. Now she’s bringing her animated and expressive personality to dance theatre for the first time in a new work called In–I which premiers in Beijing on April 3 at the Mei Lanfang Grand Theater. Binoche co-directs and stars.

In–I is a major new work in dance theater grabbing attention world-wide. But more than that, the production is about Binoche’s reinvention as a performer. It was a long and unexpected road, she tells CW, one which has brought her back to Beijing.

Two years ago, Binoche was in London getting a Shiatsu massage from Su-Man Hsu, a dance instructor moonlighting as a part-time masseuse. Su-Man planted the idea of dancing as an artistic option for Binoche and has since been her dance instructor (and still gives her massages after every show). “She knows when to be patient and when to go to another level sweating!” Binoche says. “We had very good laughs as well as tears. I couldn’t have done it without her.”

Contemporary dancer and choreographer [Akram Khan](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akram_Khan_(dancer), Binoche’s co-star and co-director, was also essential in her development as a dancer. Being paired with the world-renowned dancer pushed Binoche to her limit. “I worked out every day while we were rehearsing and creating,” she says. “I felt the limits of my body, but at the same time, I witnessed it changing bit by bit. I’m amazed to see that we can do so much with trust and constancy and also imagination. We create our own relationship to our body.”

In–I’s story parallels Binoche’s learning experience via a emotive portrayal of love, domesticity, disillusionment and rebirth. “Obstacles make us stronger if we can overcome them,” Binoche says. “We had many obstacles, I was frightened just to bend my knees, I had two different injuries in the past, so Akram had to learn to be patient with my fears.” To push boundaries and to try something new is brave, Binoche explains. “The project was bigger than our needs,” she admits, “bigger than our fears.”

Charles Silverman

What: In-I

When: April 3

Where: Mei Lanfang Theatre

Web: www.piao.com