This year’s Bastille Day festivities in New York had a different feel, noted Violaine Huisman, artistic director of the prestigious Crossing the Line festival. Held at L’Alliance, the French cultural center in Midtown, the celebration came just a week after an unexpected snap election that left both President Emmanuel Macron and the nation reeling.
Huisman, recently returned from France, noted the unique expression of this year’s festival attendees as they marched with empty signs. The gesture, he explained, was a tribute to an iconic 1960s demonstration conceptualized by choreographer Anna Halprin in the heat of the civil rights and anti-war movements.
In her role at the helm of Crossing the Line, Huisman, 45, is deeply immersed in shaping the festival’s offerings, which span art, dance, and theater, starting September 5. In these unpredictable times, she believes in the power of art to offer comfort and direction.
This article is also available in the New York Times print edition, Arts section, as of August 25, 2024.
