Lifeguard

For a piece to exist sometimes the spectator must touch it, open up to the tactile sensations of movement. With the body as offering, Benoît Lachambre presents with Lifeguard an intimate performance where the magnetic charge of bodies is revealed. Pushing the limits of connection, performer and audience explore a new territory of exchange. Resonance chamber, transmitter and receiver, Lachambre’s body becomes a social connector triggering a cosmic dance.

In silence, or with his voice providing deep vocals as he dances to the music of Marvin Gaye, a Brahms violin concerto or the electronic strains of A Tribe Called Red, Lachambre modifies his environment, capturing the vibrations that are transmitted by the audience and circulating around him. At times minimalist, at others quite vibrant, the movement follows the unpredictable dance of lives reunited. Stirring, vital and sometimes playful, Lifeguard rekindles our need to be together sharing a sacred ritual. A shifting architecture where the other becomes the guardian of energies. A singular communion of the senses.

Produced by Par B.L.eux
Choreographed and performed by Benoît Lachambre
Outside eyes Valérie Lanciaux + George Stamos + Anouk Thériault
Technical Director Samuel Thériault
Musical Composition Tomas Furey
Acknowledgments to Alexandra Bertaut

With the support of CDC Atelier de Paris-Carolyn Carlson + Centre National de la Danse de Pantin + La Ménagerie de Verre (Paris)

Presented in association with Agora de la danse + Tangente

Written by Elsa Pépin
Translated by Neil Kroetsch

Premiered at Festival June Events, Paris, on June 18, 2016