Throughout this project we hope to begin searching for pathways to start answering the sticky question: “How to write a circus show.”

For some time, circus has dreamed of finding a means in dramaturgy and writing specific to the discipline. Usually, physical sequences are placed in the frame of story, which becomes a pretext to show discipline specific technique. These “framed acts” have their own poetry and beauty, but the circus techniques and disciplines are not always organically linked with the ideas or stories being expressed.

We are looking to find, starting from only our bodies, a form of writing specifically circus; a form only attainable through the circus artist.

La Vrille du Chat (The Cat Twist) is a first attempt in this direction. The artistic ambition and complexity of form materializes through popular codes. These codes being easily grasped, with a large dose of irony and humor, start from a situation anchored in the everyday, the sort each spectator feels in familiar terrain, easily recognizable. Like in musical variations, the more simple and banal the theme, the more striking and poetic the transformations become of the initial phrase.

La Vrille du Chat is based on a simple principle. The show develops from a single scene of several minutes; a scene that for our acrobatics becomes at once territory and material for play. Through reprise, deconstruction, and reconstruction, we attempt to exercise the possibilities of this unique scene. Similar to a comic book, this scene can be played in reverse, slow motion, or frozen in time; deconstructed while multiplying the focus points, and changing what is accented, like in a musical variation; reconstructed by aggregating the parts of the variations obtained.

Given at first glance to the viewer as a seemingly simple scene, the initial sequence will be seen through the point of view of each of the five artists, so by repetition the spectator can relive the scene through an individual and subjective point of view. Each new perspective reveals the humor, dreams and projections of the character; the little orchestrations of their mentality and psyche. These revelations impart the feeling of the series and potential causes of the scene, what could or would have happened in the characters lives or parallel universes.

Vincent Gomez

“For each new adventure there is a beginning, an intimate reason which brings me to enter. For this new creation with Back Pocket, it is this simple energy, present and generous that resonated in me like un echo of youth. They have the desire, recklessness and exigence in perfect balance to cultivate their desires. The opportunity to help them on their way came while on my own path, where I thought, “What luck to be able to play together at inventing their world. Go ahead, don’t think, and follow your instinct!””

Stagings:

Co. Hors Piste: “Soldats de Plumes”, “Confidences”, “Traveling Circus”, “Histoires Russes?”, “Ordure & Ménagère” ,”L’orage et le Cerf Volant”, “Coma Idyllique”…

Co. Sipeucirque: “Cirkonférence”, “Orchesys”

Co. Anomalie: “Bascule”

Philippe Vande Weghe

Cofounder of the company “Cie Les Argonautes” and coauthor and interpreter in “la Toison d’Orgue”, “Le Prince d’Incertitude” and “Pas Perdus”, Philippe always had a particular interest for directing, and staging with the wish to attach meaning to performance. Alongside his professorship at the École Supérieure des Arts du Cirque of Brussels, he creates many pieces such as “Derniers Instants” (2007) and “Le Passage” with the company “Carré Curieux, Cirque Vivant!”, “Irrésistibles” with Alexine Boucher Hardy (2012) or also “Entre D’Eux” (2015). He also worked with Aurélien Oudot and Trio Anneaux (of which Maya Kesselman and Michael Hottier are part) on their respective graduating acts from ÉSAC.

Goury

He doesn’t use the architecture which he studied other than for the spectacular. First with dancers, for who he designs spaces and large convertible stage accessories (Verret, Nadj, Boivin…),  he continued to theater because he also wanted to confront written dramaturgies (Adrien, Beaunesne, Benichou Hiegel…), those who brought him to frequent a little too close to the cultural institution (théâtre de la ville, comédie FR, festival d’Avignon). He then turned towards the circus, where he respects the physical engagement and intelligence (Anomalie, Mathurin Bolze, Zimmermann – de Perrot, Gaetan Lévèque, AOC, Laurent Paretti, Les Désaccordés, Giovanna d’Ettore, la Maison des Clowns, Yoann Bourgeois…)

Choreographer: Isael Mata

Isael is a dancer, choreographer and teacher who has given workshops at ÉSAC in Brussels for many years. The physical character of his dancing is close to our acrobatic approach. “I work with Release techniques (Trisha Brown) and Flying Low (David Zambrano) that permit a fluidity and an evolution in the transitions between the floor and standing movements. To create a dynamic in space with the presence of others: to navigate on stage toward the meeting of his own spontaneous movements and to utilise his instinct and sensitivity to move and enter in line with that which surrounds us.” Student of David Zambrano, having notably danced with the group P.A.R.T.S. directed by Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker and taught for the company Ultima Ver and Wim Vandekeybuns, Isael accompanies us on this creation on the level of movement quality and choreography.

Musical Inspiration: Hugues le Bars

We are using, and taking inspiration from, the work of French musician Hugues Le Bars. He is a composer who uses noises and sound effects while keeping a dynamic and rhythmic base, with a humorous and expressive style. Curious about other art forms, he created as well in a purely musical form as for the cinema and stage. He was notably a composer for several ballets by Maurice Béjart and also the cartoon “Oggy et les Cafards”. When we contacted Hugues Le Bars for a collaboration, he was ready to support our project, but was not composing any new material during this period. So, we have used several works from his discography to inspire us and to create a part of our musical universe.

Sound Conception: Lambert Colson