"gustavia" For the first time in her career of 20 years’ standing, Mathilde Monnier collaborates with another choreographer: La Ribot, with whom she shares an interest in humour. Monnier and La Ribot have examined the codes of classical burlesque, as seen in films by Peter Sellers, Jacques Tati and Charlie Chaplin, with regard to their applicability for dance: “We have discovered that that which is being exhibited in burlesque is usually that which is supposed to be hidden in dance.” This is definitely not the case with “gustavia”. With the energy-flogging body language of the farce, Monnier and La Ribot pose a rather serious question: is it even possible these days for an artist to have an impact on society?