There's more than one way to die
Red curtain, fairground garlands, ruffle collars, and tambourines: here we are at the circus, and a double murder is underway. Before things fade to black or end in a flash of blinding light, a group of sinister clowns perform one execution after another and kill each other with an energy at once festive, fascinating... and gruesome. Terrifying pantomime or theatrical parody of a world in which violence is an endless spectacle? Hofesh Shechter, our clever master of ceremony, orchestrates the successive entrance of the ten dancers. He creates a score made up of haunting pulsations and droning voices, a unique and virtuoso style which borrows at once from tribal, folk, and baroque dance. Then, as if to bring balance to the forces at play here, gestures become more tender, more fragile, and the music softens. Death is still right below the surface, but there's a glimmer of hope in this new opus. The choreographer injects us with the antidote and tries to find a cure through the relationship between the dancers themselves and with the audience. A stirring and murderous dance, but also a time to lay down our arms, assess the damage, dress our wounds... a time to mend the living.
Distribution
With Winifred Burnet-Smith, Frédéric Despierre, Miguel Duarte, Rachel Fallon, Mickaël Frappat, Adam Khazhmuradov, Yeji Kim, Attila Ronai, Hannah Shepherd, Juliette Valerio
Choreography et music Hofesh Shechter
Lights Lee Curran, Tom Visser
Costumes Christina Cunningham, Peter Todd
Production
Production : Hofesh Shechter Company
Co-production : Sadler's Wells (London), Théâtre de la Ville (Paris) / Maison des Arts de Créteil, Brighton Dome et Brighton Festival, Les Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg, Shanghai International Dance Center Theater, New Vision Arts Festival (Hong Kong), National Performing Arts Center National Taichung Theater (Taïwan), Festival d'Avignon, Danse Danse (Montreal), Scène nationale d'Albi, Torinodanza Festival / Teatro Stabile di Torino Teatro Nazionale, Marche Teatro / Inteatro Festival (Polverigi, Italy), Opéra de Dijon, HOME Manchester
With the support of Fondation BNP Paribas for the 74th edition of the Festival d'Avignon Residence Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, La FabricA du Festival d'Avignon