Chantiers d’Europe is one of Théâtre de la Ville's flagship programmes, showcasing new creation and emerging talents from the European performing arts scene.
The British Council is supporting Théâtre de la Ville to provide a significant platform for new talents from the UK dance scene to perform and connect with French audiences and art professionals. The programme will feature Ben Duke, Kwame Asafo-Adjei, Igor and Moreno, and Botis Seva detailed below.
Ben Duke in Juliet & Romeo, 14–18 May
Can romanticism survive the midlife crisis? Juliet and Romeo revisit the traces of their lost passion, seeking to understand why it slipped away from them. Their tragedy is that every play, every note of music, and every ballet performed in their name reflects the absolute love they embody in the eyes of all. Handling both the language of Shakespeare and the most mundane of quarrels, the two performers perfectly convey the finely crafted writing and crackling humour of Ben Duke.
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Kwame Asafo-Adjei in Family Honour, 22–25 May
Family conflict between tradition and youth. A hip-hop theatre encounter in an electric atmosphere.
How to preserve family harmony in a changing world? Family Honour depicts a man and a woman clashing over moral codes and an alleged 'sin', breaking ancestral rules of their community. In 2018, the initial 10-minute version captivates with its accuracy and intensity, winning the First Prize in the Expanded Dance category at Theatre de la Ville. The following year, it triumphs at the Rotterdam international competition. The success is further affirmed by an invitation to create an extended version, delving into the depths of a conflict that retraces heated debates within a family that has arrived in Europe from Ghana. Authentic and essential!
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Igor and Moreno in Karrasekare, 29 May – 1 June
From the carnivals of the Basque Country and Sardinia, a septet draws inspiration from the excitement of the crowds to revive the rites and folk dances.
They have captivated the audience with their humour since the duo Idiot-Syncrasy, but the Basque Igor Urzelai and the Sardinian Moreno Solinas have never lost the connection with the pagan traditions of their respective regions. For Karrasekare, they draw inspiration from animal costumes, polyphonic songs classified as intangible cultural heritage, and ancestral energies, sometimes raw but always exhilarating. These cathartic gatherings awaken the mysterious sides of the human being.
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Botis Seva in Until we Sleep, 4–7 June
Meeting one of the new talents in British dance.
Within his collective Far From The Norm, Botis Seva deconstructs the vocabularies of various Street Dance styles such as breakdance, popping, as well as krump and house, creating a new theatre of hip-hop dance. His journey, which began in a London community centre, leads him to recognition: an Olivier Award for the best choreographic production in 2019. With Until we Sleep, Botis Seva unearths the secrets of the colonial era that continue to disrupt community and generational relationships, seeking tranquillity behind the apparent beauty of chaos.
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