HIVERNALES THAW AVIGNON.

AVIGNON, France--Despite the harsh mistral that whipped through Avignon in February, leaving the medieval papal city in a brutal winter chill, the Hivernales dance festival (February 13 to 20) kept the city's blood pumping with a plethora of workshops and premieres all celebrating the art of "Singing and Dancing!"

The festival theme honored the tenth anniversary of an Hivernales offspring, the interdisciplinary Danseur-Acteur-Chanteur, a unique three-month annual workshop combining dance, theater, and song. "Workshops of this kind are nearly nonexistent in France," commented D-A-C voice instructor Pasqualino Frigau of the specificity of the Avignon school.

For choreographer Daniel Larrieu of the Tours dance center, dance is always the precursor of song. "I never remember the words that were pronounced at a particular moment," he says. "However, I always remember the gestures that were employed." For fellow choreographer Jean Ribault, a D-A-C graduate, combining dance and song is "complicated, but extremely interesting. It is a risk, but the result is a brilliant combination."

Within the ancient stone walls that surround Avignon, dance could be seen and heard at all hours of the day. In between the daily workshops and discussion groups were afternoon film screenings, photo exhibits, and junior dance performances. Dancers, students, and choreographers mingled freely in the streets as they dodged from event to event, sipping hot espressos along the way.

The evening lineup of performances included the variety show La Valse, a lively and droll original performance by the D-A-C. American choreographer Mark Tompkins presented a deliciously subversive series of homages, including one to Nijinsky, using music by the Artist Formerly Known as Prince. The week came to a close with a world premiere performance of The Black Marseillaise under the Flamboyants by the Avignon ballet, a historical musical based on the life of Caribbean hero Toussaint L'Ouverture.