PERFORMANCES 2017

Mathilde Monnier & La Ribot (FR/ES)

Gustavia

First of all, they pretend in a harlequinesque way that an abundance of tears is being shed: “Cry, brothers, cry!” Spanish-Swiss performer La Ribot announces: “As soon as the weeping stops, all that is feminine inside me will have disappeared.” She and French choreographer Mathilde Monnier stalk around in high heels on a stage draped in black. In sexy black bodysuits the two fixtures on the European dance scene summon male funniness before their audience. Countless references from dance, film and theatre serve them as tools to distort it, trying to get to the bottom of the status of femininity in our society – with a parody on pathos. Gustavia is a response to the classical farce as exemplified in films by Peter Sellers, Jacques Tati and Charlie Chaplin. The artists comment: “The typical features that are showcased in a farce are usually concealed in dance.” In this duet, Monnier and La Ribot open an enormous barrel of doubt using a body language of travesty brimming with energy: is art still capable of having an impact on society?

Duration: 60 min

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