Travelling Circus / 6 years-old and upwards

residence & production

10.11.12 october 08

Awful, mean and at the same time full of life and kindness, Makadam Kanibal cause once again hilarity with their talent. Following their first show, Cirque des Curiosités, they are now adopting a circular stage where they ride mechanical horses and adopt fierce and acrobatic postures. This pair of gypsies and eccentric smooth talkers update the old acts from the days of the travelling circus in the early 20th century: sword or umbrella-swallowers, knife and axe throwers, strongmen, man-on-fire etc. for a sumptuously cruel show that will delight children.

’’What is surprising is that children seem to be freer than adults in this situation, a bit like in Perrault’s fairytales. Adults find it more difficult to accept.’’ Jean-Alexandre Ducq

See synopsis (pdf in french/44kb)

How did this show come to life? Is this the sequel of your previous work?

Jean-Alexandre Ducq: This production is more focused on couples’ relationships and feelings. It is less sociological and performative than the first show, we are talking less about life in the streets, it is an evolution. We would like to reach a pure state of play, to try to go through pure emotion, through sensations, without having to accumulate acts.

What sensations are those? What story would you like to tell?

JAD: Our shows are strongly linked to what we are currently experiencing or what we have recently experienced. Cirque des curiosités was about the streets, the misery of living in the streets and what could be experienced there. I was homeless for seven years, so this is a topic that’s very close to my heart. Today, we live like a travelling circus would, in trailers. We have fewer problems, or maybe different problems, but we have more time to give our relationship as a couple. We do more than survive.

You like to use old school travelling circus techniques, where does this passion come from? Where did you learn them?

JAD: When I was living in squats, I taught myself fakirism and fire handling techniques. But I still use them in a very subverted way. I like these techniques because they both repel and attract people. What is surprising is that children seem to be freer than adults in this situation, a bit like in Perrault’s fairytales. Adults find it more difficult to accept.

You said this show was more about love and less about the streets, that it is less “sociological”. What do you mean by that?

JAD: It is more revealing, private. It has been simplified in order to create moments when it’s just us and the audience. Our truth confronting people’s truth. They can decide to bugger off, or to participate, which is great! Now, I want to convey emotions.

Parcours

Jean-Alexandre Ducq started as a street fire-eater more than ten years ago. This is when he met Elodie Meissonnier, with whom he developed a language involving fakirism and body performance. In 2004, they created 2 rien merci, an artistic partnership that mutually enriched both of them. Out of this partnership came the show Cirque des curiosités, performed for the first time in March 2006 during the Ça Compte! WeekEnd at Les Subsistances.

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Cast and crew

Written and Directed by Makadam Kanibal.

Choreography by Jean-Alexandre Ducq, Elodie Meissonnier.

Technician: Jérémie Bruyère.

Scenography by Collectif de la Villa Rennes.

Co-production & Residence: Les Subsistances / Lyon / France, Bonlieu Scène nationale (Annecy), Furies (Châlons-en- Champagne), l’Abattoir (Chalon-sur-Saône), l’Atelline (Villeneuve-lès-Maguelone).

Coproduced by ODAC (Haute-Savoie), DRAC Bourgogne. With the help of: La Villa (self-run organisation in Rennes), C.A.E.S. (self-run organisation in Ris-Orangis).

Schedule Fri 7:30pm, Sat 4:00pm and Sun 2:30pm

Duration 45 min

Price free

Artist in residence

3-31 Oct 07 & 1-12 Oct 2008

www.makadamkanibal.com