LOVE DANCE

Love Dance is a song from Mylène Farmer’s ninth studio album, Monkey Me released on 3 December 2012.

The words Love Dance were written by Mylène Farmer. Music, arrangements, programming, keyboards and production: Laurent Boutonnat. Mixing: Jérôme Devoise.

The song is bonified dance club material. It doesn’t even need any remixing. But still there are still a few I know of (link on the bottom of the page). Laurent is clearly playing with the modern music making techniques and you can’t blame him – he is a kid in heart and anything new is good. Mylene also goofing around with her language mishmash (or should I say “Méli Mélo”?) mixing languages and clichés as long as they rhyme.

So in short it’s a fun dance song where you just want to have your martini and hit the dance floor. It is not serious enough to talk about any inspirational sources per se. But since we are still on it, there only thing that has somewhat a meaningful hint is a “Méli Mélo” which apparently is the nickname that Mylène sometimes gives to her dear close friend, the choreographer and make-up artist – Christophe Danchaud.

I am taking this golden opportunity to talk about this remarkable person. The man I have never met but who’s presence is felt in every life performance, clip or photograph Mylene has done…It feels like we all know Christophe . Yet, lets talk about him in this chapter which is titled so perfectly for the occasion.

Christophe just as so many close Mylene’s associates, and co-creators goes way-way back to the very first En Concert of 1989 when he first was one of the backup dancers for Mylene.

From the age of 17 he began to dance professionally (classical then jazz then contemporary) before working for dance companies or musicals.

Later became more involved into the choreography and a makeup. He and Mylene remain close for decades. Isn’t it the secret of her success? The Loyalty of truly dedicated individuals who create an incredible force together.

Curiously enough, the biggest success on the world arena came to Christophe by doing his makeup work. He worked on many celebrities and even on movie productions such as “Da Vinci code”

He began in this field as an assistant to Jacques Clémente on Robert Altman’s film, “Prêt-à-porter”. He has since worked with many photographers and made up the biggest stars.

http://www.christophedanchaud.com/

On the 1996 Tour, he is a dancer but also a choreographer creating the choreographies of Libertine, XXL, Alice but also with Mylène those of Que mon coeur lâche and Sans contrefaçon.

He is again a dancer and choreographer on the Mylenium Tour (1999/2000). He creates alone the choreographies of  Méfie-toi and Dessine-moi un mouton and with Mylène that of  Pourvu qu’elles soient douces

Role a little more limited on the concerts of 2006, Before the shadow … in Bercy. He designs with Mylène the choreography of C’est une belle journee . He had accompanied Mylène on televised performances for C’est une belle journee in 2002

We find him choreographer on the 2009 Tour. He creates alone the choreographies of the Outro Haka Je m’ennuie, of Libertine and with Mylène those of the intro of L’Âme-Stram-Gram, Pourvu qu’elles soient douces, Sans contrefaçon and Désenchantée.

In 2011, he created with Mylène the choreography for the clip Du Temps and the performance on this song at the “NRJ Music Awards 2012”.

He made up Mylène for clips and numerous photoshoots.

On certain dates of the 2009 Tour, Christophe Danchaud accompanies the dancers on stage for C’est dans l’air.

During the 2013 Timeless concert at the Zénith in Strasbourg on October 16, 2013, Christophe Danchaud replaces the dancer Manu Gouffran (injured the day before) for the choreographies of C’est une belle journee, Désenchantée, Sans contrefaçon, Je t’aime, melancholie.

about Christophe Danchaud

Christophe Danchaud is born September 8, 1963 (another Virgo)

Since childhood, Christophe Danchaud nurtured a real passion for the spectacle in all its forms, he always knew that he would evolve between shadow and light. It is first and foremost as a dancer that he finds material for his personal development. Over the years, his many experiences in dance companies, his participation in several musicals have allowed him to discover different worlds, varied and always enriching.
From all these encounters and through the trust we place in him, it is quite natural that he becomes a choreographer (he takes part in all of Mylène Farmer’s shows as a dancer and choreographer).

In his own words: I am the choreography coordinator, and also a choreographer. We have been working together, with Mylène, for a very long time, for twenty years.

Everything starts from a communion, well we really work with each other, since Mylène has the look and the intelligence to always want something very precise compared to what she wants to deliver on stage

I start working with Mylène alone, three to four weeks every two. I integrate her choreographies, since I will have to retransmit them to the dancers later, and then we necessarily do an audition. We will have to choose dancers, and that she chooses dancers especially. And here we are, we chose eight dancers who were going to do the indoor tour, and then two other young girls in addition for the outdoor. And then I go to New York to teach the dancers everything that is going to happen on stage, in any case a big, big part. And there we work eight hours a day all week, and we dance, we sweat … We work, we work, we rehearse … So the steps are integrated we will say.

And then comes the moment when Mylène has to see the way I have set things up. She will give me her opinion on what I have done personally, if there are small things to change. And then the moment arrives when she will integrate into the choreography.

So it’s always a little emotional moment for me because it’s the moment when I withdraw, where I become the spectator of all this work, and I always adore the moment at the beginning when Mylène fits in with the dancers, because everyone is very attentive to the others, everyone observes themselves a little bit and it is a very special moment in the rehearsals and which are quite strong moments. Very quickly, moreover, there was incredible energy. Once again Mylène was very happy with the team. Something came out besides, initially, which made Mylène feel relatively good, fast, and the dancers were very with her. And we were able to exploit the choreography in a slightly stronger way.

I am the eye of the choreography, because in dance things can shift, it can go very quickly, and therefore I am there to make the dancers rehearse. Even if the fun comes and even if all of a sudden things are lighter, I have to bring everyone back a little bit to the true sense of movement.

It takes a lot of rigor, first to learn dance, because when you start young, you work your body a lot with absolutely phenomenal precision. So, we have discipline, of the body. Afterwards, holding back is like a musician: once you know how to play the guitar – or ride a bike – you know for life. So, we have a memory like that which is automatic. The steps become part of our body and stay, for a long time. On the tour, the discipline will be in the rehearsal, but after that we are also there to live and to have fun.

Routine is impossible with Mylène, because she is in… in a perpetual movement. He is someone who is constantly creating. Who thinks, who writes… Who shares his creation. And from the moment she gives her confidence, it’s very interesting because she’s an artist with whom we are constantly on the move. Even though these are songs that were made a long time ago with existing choreography, everything is called into question every time. We work in collaboration on the existing choreographies rearranged for the stage. I have models which are generally made by Yvan Cassar, and with Laurent (Boutonnat, editor’s note). I have an end to end of songs with all the re-orchestrations, because that’s also what pushes us, and here I must say that Yvan’s work is always very important.

We all try to reinvent things, I think it’s very important not to stick to what has been learned and, where Yvan is very, very strong is that, he manages to catch songs and give them a new one. color. What is very important and, once again, is the basis for a lot of work that will follow. The work of Yvan, there, was very strong, because he gave us new, percussive rhythms, a little more rock… I think of “Without counterfeit” for example, there were many guitars of only one suddenly, and I was struck that we could still do something very new with this wonderful song.

There is intelligence behind all that, it is not necessary to take the step. I think Mylène needs to think about the meaning of the step, and the spirit of the step.

“Soul-stram-gram” was an existing choreography that Mylène had created for the show in 1999, which had to be readjusted a little bit at the start, since the music had changed, it was more rhythmic, more strong, more jerky. She has a very particular choreographic spirit, very strong and very square.

“I’m bored”, it is Mylène who created this choreography which was perfectly adapted to the spirit of the costume. In fact, she had created something quite static, but very precise in the arms, a very particular gesture, and that I found very interesting on stage because it was a visual painting where everything was integrated, it is that is to say the choreography, the costume, the music, where everything was very present. Mylène recorded the choreography with sensors on her body. I did it also on other small passages. But I did not have an overall vision, and the scenic power that it had, that it had, on arrival … I am always very admiring to see that Mylène can, upstream, like that, create things knowing, finally, what it will give. She visualizes things very well.

And then there are other things too, where Mylène asks me to create something myself. Where she wants to be surprised by another gesture. Laurent asked me to create a moment of choreography. I found it interesting that we use the dancers alone, which is always a bit risky because people are used to seeing Mylène dancing with the dancers and it is also rare that we give the dancers a gift like that to be alone on stage. And she gave it to us. I thought he fit in well with the show. Everything was connected very, very well, we also worked so that the ends of the songs could agree with the beginning of the others. After that, there are always small details that change, compared to entering the stage, leaving the stage… In relation to the way Laurent will see things as well.

I also try to understand each person’s personality, to know who, at certain times, will be more in the foreground and then more in the background. And then others, at other times, come a little ahead, etc. So, there is a whole implementation being done.

It is an experience, once again, very playful, to find oneself on such huge stages with such an artist. It’s always scary to imagine your work in a stage where, indeed, people are going to have a much smaller perception of things. And then we overtake him because we are caught in a whirlwind that Mylène inspires us. The decor was done in a way that we were very close to her, we were in a cocoon, we were caught in something very round, like in a bubble. It was a shock, in a way. They loved being on stage with Mylène.

On this show, Mylène wanted to give this choreography to Nataly Aveillan. It was good that there were different eyes. It is a choreography that she did in a remarkable way. There were quite lascivious poses [of Mylène], and besides having this kind of choreography like that, which tended to go towards the contemporary, it brought a new breath. Suddenly there was a lot of energy between what Mylène creates what I can also contribute, and Nataly Aveillan. There are a lot of elements.

First there were very strong images of Alain Escalle, and then Laurent, I think, wanted to use a lot of lasers. It was very impressive this table because there are a lot of things, it is very rich, very strong. It all made a block, a block of energy.

“It’s in the air” is a song, already, extremely dynamic, and very strong, with a very particular rhythm. It was the absolutely ideal song to end the show, because there is a feeling of celebration, and it fits well in the fact that the dancers can be on stage, with the choristers, the musicians coming down… Any the troop, finally, surrounds Mylène, to celebrate the end of the show.

I like them all a lot because we all worked and sweated a lot together, so these are very strong memories. The memory of a boy like Kyle, with a very strong, very masculine energy … Mayte and Maria, the two young girls who made the tour, with incredible precision … Victor, whom I also adore … Reed and Cries, which I find absolutely incredible… Mike, who made us laugh a lot and who works like crazy… Esther and Johanna [the two singers, note] have been there for a long time too. They want to participate in one way or another in the choreography. All this makes that there is a very special atmosphere. It’s all made of fire! So it’s exciting…

There is a lot of fun, and I think it’s very important to the good spirit of the troop.

I think they have a passion for Mylène, because she communicates something very special. She is very tender with them.

All people are important, and how can we not talk about all the technicians and all the people who work for the well-being of the artists – but also who make this show exist – and that Mylène, who is the central pillar of everything that, to the maximum of his well-being and his artistic faculty.

How does the collaboration with Mylène Farmer begin?

I am going to meet a girl whom I have known for a very long time, but with whom I will work a lot, who is called Sophie Tellier, who is an actress today. And she a very good friend with Mylène Farmer. They’re looking for people to make Sans contrefacon TV sat the time. And I passed the audition, but I am not taken, Mylène prefers to take other people. But on the other hand, I sympathized with her, and when she goes to do her first scene in Paris, in 1989, at the Palais des Sports, I am involved in the team. I will, from there, forge a bond with Mylène very powerful, very strong, and we are always very close. And I’m going to start by being his dancer, until her last show where they were other choreographers but where I was still the choreography coordinator. I did the choreography for all of his shows, so the dance will keep me going until now. I obviously did choreography for TV shows, etc. Mylène is going to really become the center of gravity of my story as a dancer, and I’m really happy about it!

So, what about working with Mylène Farmer? She’s a hard worker I imagine. How is she Mylène?

At work, Mylène is fantastic. First of all, the luck that she has is that her talent exploded and that she had a huge success with a phenomenal fanbase …

Huge, and which still lasts, because even the youngest … .

It’s a loving relationship between them. Suddenly, obviously, there are means, these are big shows: we rehearse in Los Angeles, we rehearse in New York … I will continue to do my dancer’s story a lot in the United States, we take teams American, well it’s great! The last two shows are from French teams, but for a very long time, it was Americans. So I’m making a dream come true too! And Mylène also does her own choreography, we work together …

Yes, she is super involved!

She is wonderful, I cannot say anything else. She’s a friend. I find her talented, particular, different in this landscape. I know there are people who don’t like her work or her art, but I respect what she does a lot.

Yes, she has a singularity … The clips, it was not you? The choreographies with Boutonnat? Maybe there weren’t a lot of choreographies, though … Yes, there were choreographies, but no, it wasn’t me yet. They were a lot of Mylène alone with Sophie Tellier, at the base. Me, I worked as a choreographer with Mylène really in 1996. So everything that was done before, it already existed, and I took the existing choreographies and I rearranged them for the stage. There was already a work built before I arrived. But I was present, since I was already doing ballets as a dancer.

The first clip I made with Mylène was called Beyond my control: I’m all naked inside because they liked my buttocks. Model buttocks! It’s good because when you’re older, you can look at your butt from the time, and I must say that there is a small difference! (Laughs)

And that’s, my friends a little bit of “Meli mélo” for you all…😊

remixes: https://soundcloud.com/search?q=Love%20Dance%20mylene%20farmer%20remixes

my poetry inspired by the song

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lyrics with translation

Do you love me?
Love me do
Me do love you
Me too
You me love do
Love me do you
Dis love me?
Doux est le cou
Le derrière
Du genou, commissure
De la bouche, l'entre cuisse
Afait mouche
If you say so
Won't let you go!
How should I know?
Que tu m'aimes moi
Meli mélo
If you say so
Won't let me go!
Lupo lupo
Mon meli mélo
Meli mélo
Do you love me?
Love me do
Me do love you
Me too!
You me love do
Love me do you
Dis love me?
Doux est le fou
Des fossettes
A genoux, galipettes
De la chance, l'entre nous
Est immense
If you say so
Won't let you go!
How should I know?
Que tu m'aimes moi
Meli mélo
If you say so
Won't let me go!
Lupo lupo
Mon meli mélo
Meli mélo
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to you too
Happy birthday to you
To you, to you
If you say so
Won't let you go!
How should I know?
Que tu m'aimes moi
Meli mélo
If you say so
Won't let me go!
Lupo lupo
Mon meli mélo
Meli mélo
Que tu m'aimes moi
Mon meli mélo

Do you love me?
Love me do
Me do love you
Me too
You love me do
Love me do you
Say love me?
Sweet is the neck
The bottom
Knee, commissure
From the mouth, between the thighs
Make a Fly 
If you say so
Won't let you go!
How should I know?
That you love me me
Mishmash
If you say so
Won't let me go!
Lupo lupo
My mishmash
Mishmash
Do you love me?
Love me do
Me do love you
Me too!
You love me do
Love me do you
Say love me?
Sweet is the fool
Dimples
On your knees, somersaults
Luck, between us
Is immense
If you say so
Won't let you go!
How should I know?
That you love me me
Mishmash
If you say so
Won't let me go!
Lupo lupo
My mishmash
Mishmash
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to you too
Happy birthday to you
To you, to you
If you say so
Won't let you go!
How should I know?
That you love me me
Mishmash
If you say so
Won't let me go!
Lupo lupo
My mishmash
Mishmash
That you love me me
My mishmash