bang bang

In this new solo Manuel Roque experiences the full impact of a body thrown far beyond its limits. In Data (FTA, 2015) he revealed with force and lyricism the contortions involved in having the body stand up and maintain its balance, and here he presents a strange, ecstatic composition on jumping. A celebration of the beating pulse of life, bang bang tests the body’s resistance to being airborne – at the risk of falling.

Playing with the history of dance, jumping as portrayed here is not a pursuit of spectacular elevation. He unrelentingly strikes the floor as though he can’t stop bouncing, rebounding, vibrating. In choreography that reveals humanity in all its imperfection, he strives for full mastery of his movements, giving rise to a spirited yet elusive dance, a veritable quest for transcendence where virtuosity is gradually undermined by flaws and weaknesses. Cracks and gaps appear in the body undergoing this test of endurance, and thus exhaustion arises from the universal experience of vulnerability.

Produced by Cie Manuel Roque
Choreographed and performed by Manuel Roque
Rehearsals and artistic advisors Sophie Corriveau + Lucie Vigneault
Dramaturgy Peter James
Costume and set design Marilène Bastien
Lighting design Marc Parent
Soundtrack Manuel Roque
Music excerpts Frédéric Chopin + Claude Debussy + Merzbow + Tino Rossi + 2001, l’Odyssée de l’espace by Stanley Kubrick + Solaris  by Andreï Tarkovski
Production, technical and set manager Judith Allen
Photo Marilène Bastien

Co-produced by Festival TransAmériques
With the support of La Fabrik (Postdam) + Maison de la culture Frontenac + Circuit-Est centre chorégraphique + Théâtre Hector-Charland (L’Assomption) + Les Subsistances (Lyon) + Agora de la danse

Presented in association with Théâtre Prospero

Written by Mylène Joly
Translated by Neil Kroetsch

Premiered at Subsistances, Lyon, on March 30, 2017