cotton fields» by B.M. Koltès. 2006: En plein cœur (Dead in the heart**), piece for
9 performers, freely inspired from the text. « Roberto Zucco» by B.M. Koltès, ...
ABOUT THE COMPANY
1996: Back from Montreal, Christian and François Ben Aïm worked into creating a unique combination of dance and theatre. 1997: A l’abri du regard des hommes, avant d’aller mourir ailleurs, first creation for 5 performers, performed fifty times, including in the Off Festival in Avignon 1998 1998: L’Homme Rapaillé, short piece freely inspired from Gaston Miron’s poetry and performed in several young choreographers’ festivals 1999: Un homme en marche (A man on his way**), piece for 3 dancers and 2 actors performed in the Off Festival in Avignon L'Enfant du miroir, short piece for 11 performers won the Barbakoff Prize in the Volinine Competition in 1999. 2001: La Frontera, piece for 5 dancers created with the support of the CCN of Orléans (artistic director: Josef Nadj) Ô mon frère ! (Ô my brother !**) short trio for men 2003: Ne vous fiez pas au titre, il peut encore changer, trio created at Etoile du Nord in Paris. 2004: Carcasses, un œil pour deux (Carcasses, one eye for two**), duet between brothers freely inspired from the text «In the solitude of cotton fields» by B.M. Koltès 2006: En plein cœur (Dead in the heart**), piece for 9 performers, freely inspired from the text « Roberto Zucco» by B.M. Koltès, created with the support of CCN of Créteil (artistic directors: José Montalvo & Dominique Hervieu) 2007: You’re a bird, now ! **, danced by 1 dancer with 1 musician on stage. 2008: amor fati fati amor **, piece for 6 dancers created at Théâtre de la Madeleine in Troyes, with the support of CCN of Nantes (artistic directors: Claude Brumachon & Benjamin Lamarche)
**: Available on tour
Coming soon at the end of 2009: Résistance au droit, piece for 4/5 dancers directed by François Ben Aïm
Most of these performances have been shown on several seasons and remain part of the company’s repertory. To follow and accompany: some fine residential projects diverse performances, carte blanche, new creations...
ARTISTIC DIRECTORS Christian and François Ben Aïm have been directing CFB 451 for 11 years. They both studied visual and physical theatre, street arts, circus and dancing. Independently and from a very young age they participated in collective productions and performed for different choreographers and companies in Quebec and France (Carbone 14, Angelika Oei, Philippe Jamet, Odile Azagury, Hervé Diasnas…). Since 1997, they have collaborated to create a work that combines dance, theatre and circus. Together they have created more than 10 productions - from a duet to a piece for 9 dancers. Among their creations: Un homme en marche /A man on his way, Carcasses, un œil pour deux /Carcasses, one eye for two , En plein cœur /Dead in the heart and, most recently, amor fati fati amor, a piece for 6 dancers about the physical experience of joy. Their choreography requires both committed bodies and detached emotions. Christian and François Ben Aïm develop an expressive language that allows ample scope for the performer to interpret their choreography. The interplay between dance and text as well as between dance and music is a touchstone for them. “For us, dancing means encountering people, registering fully into time and space, offering to the vision and the sensibility of the viewers something that is so alien and yet, at the same time so familiar. The performer, through his physical and mental presence, is at the very centre of our research, as the real interpreter of our choreographic invention. Our claim is total presence in dancing, a theatre of engaged bodies, the expression of commitment and embodiment on the stage, together with an ironical approach and extreme detachment. Our attraction for the physical truth of the moment is tightly associated with a fascination for fantasy and we labour to bring our visions of imaginary worlds into existence. We also borrow the various faces of the human species we share in their diversity: progress through inner landscapes, deep plunges into memory, into everyday life, into the innermost self...We particularly resort to images that collide, that distract and that divert reality. We believe dancing is the means to explore physical expression to its limits in order to convey emotion and meaning.”
CFB 451 is located in Paris. The company has a financial support of the Ministry of Culture of France (DRAC Ile-de-France). CFB 451 is associated to the Theater of La Madeleine in Troyes since 2006.
COMING SOON
CREATION
RESISTANCE AU DROIT Piece for 4/5 dancers
Automn 2009 Choreography: François BEN AÏM
I am exploring the extreme paradox that is underlined in the title, which conveys, all at once, the ideas of reflection, contradiction, duplicate, fullness and emptiness. I am questioning the vain notion of commitment through the warrior’s figure. “Who deserves my commitment? For which purpose will I offer my life?” The warrior’s figure is dual: he is loyal and blends in with his weapon to fulfil orders and reach his target. But he is also easily judged as vile and immoral and can be banished for his “crimes”. There will be anger, rage, blood, cutting head and cruelty within salvation. I will work with several tools such as dance, text and changing sets that will express various visions. François Ben Aïm
Cast list and artistic staff in progress
AMOR FATI FATI AMOR Piece for 6 dancers Running time : 55 minutes
PRODUCTION 2008 A dance like a rite of imaginary joy, like a quiet trance. An out of time escape.
Choreographers: Christian et François BEN AÏM With: Caroline ALLAIRE, Christian BEN AÏM, Aurélie BERLAND , Agnès DUFOUR, Eric FESSENMEYER, Anne FOUCHER Composer: Jean-Charles VERSARI Set Designer: Pierre-Antoine THIERRY Light Designer: Laurent PATISSIER Costume Designer: Caroline MARTIN
PRESS:
“Amor fati fati amor evokes, in an innovative way, the idea of blending in with a group to make it coherent, which results in simpleness, softness and fluidity. The performance beautifully underlines the inexorability of time.” Nathalie Yockel, La Terrasse
Technical Infos 10 people on tour (1 choreographer, 6 performers, 2 technicians, 1 tour manager) Performance area Proscenium opening: Wall to wall: Depth: Height:
ideal / minimum 11 m / 10 m 14 m 15 m / 10 m 5m
Staging: Bamboos fixed on the grid upside down Silver dance floor Black leg and border setting Set transportation: 4/5 m3 Setting: the day before the show (J-1) If pre-setting, pre-hanging
“This piece for six dancers opens with a slow-paced solo and continues with the comings and goings of the other dancers. The choreography is very precise and is perfectly interpreted by the performers on a silvery floor that reflects both their movements and the bamboo forest hung above their heads.” Philippe Verrièle, Danser
CO-PRODUCERS > Théâtre de la Madeleine à Troyes ; CCN de Nantes ; Espace culturel André Malraux du Kremlin-Bicêtre ; Théâtre Louis Aragon de Tremblay-en-France ; Centre de développement chorégraphique - Biennale de danse du Val-de-Marne FINANCIAL SUPPORT > DRAC Ile-de-France ; Conseil Général du Valde-Marne ; ADAMI
YOU’RE A BIRD, NOW ! Duet for 1 dancer and 1 musician Running time: 45 minutes All public / from the age of 6
PRODUCTION 2007
Accompanied by the musician Malik Soarès, choreographer Christian Ben Aïm transports the audience. He revisits his daily life through a combination of thoughts and dreams. A surprising and poetic trip mixes dance, music and video. Unusual characters emerge during this colourful fantasy.
Conception and performance: Christian BEN AÏM Composer and performance: Malik SOARES Set designer: Pierre-Antoine THIERRY Video maker: Mélusine THIRY Mask designer: Frédéric SAREZZA Light designer: Laurent PATISSIER
PRESS :
“On stage, the bond between the two artists enables them to improvise with the result that their two visions to compliment the other.” S.Perier, La Montagne “The solo is beautiful in a very poetic way. The use of video, music and the body creates a dreamlike scenography and assures a magical night for the audience.” S.P, L’Est-Éclair
Technical infos 5 people on tour (1 dancer, 1 musician, 2 technicians, 1 tour manager) Performance area Proscenium opening : Wall to wall : Depth : Height :
ideal / minimum 10 m / 8 m 10 m 12 m / 8 m 5m
“He does not fly, he vibrates with all his body. Accompanied by the musician Malik Soares, the dancer reinterprets everyday life in a touch of dream and imagination. The play, which has been touring for several months in France, is a blessing for both the eyes and the ears.” La Nouvelle République
Staging : White dance floor, white mat and tulle, video projector, mikes on stage Black leg and border setting Set transportation : 2/3 m3 Setting : the day J If pre-setting, pre-hanging Setting : the day before the show If the stage is sharing with another performance
CO-PRODUCERS > Scène nationale d’Aubusson - Théâtre Jean Lurçat, Ville de Palaiseau TECHNICAL SUPPORT > Micadanses/Paris, Cie DCA-Philippe Découflé, CDC du Val de Marne / Biennale nationale de danse
EN PLEIN CŒUR DEAD IN THE HEART Pièce for 9 dancers
PRODUCTION 2006
freely inspired from the text “Roberto Zucco” by B.M. Koltès
Running time: 1h25
Having escaped from prison Roberto Zucco is both a murderer and a conscience-raiser. It’s this both devastating and revealing evidence of incredible vitality which boosts and supports the whole play. The 9 performers, 6 men and 3 women, take hold of this tragic poem fraught with gore, light, mystery and tenderness. The power of words and bodies served by a both sensitive and forceful choreographic means of expression. Choreographers: Christian et François BEN AÏM With: Christian BEN AÏM, François BEN AÏM, Marie CASSAT, Vania DOMBROVSZKY, Agnès DUFOUR, Raphaël DUPIN, Eric FESSENMEYER, Anne FOUCHER, Pierre-Emmanuel SORIGNET Composer: Jean-Charles VERSARI Set designer: Pierre-Antoine THIERRY Ligth designer: Laurent PATISSIER Costume designer: Anne LAVAL
PRESS :
“Both with a very dynamic physique, two dancerschoreographers do miracles in this performance, conceived after the play “Roberto Zucco” of Bernard-Marie Koltès. With “Dead in the heart” they deepen their penchant for physical tensions and succeed to make palpable the intimate scenario of the murder. Excessive like its subject, performed by keyed up interpreters, this play testifies to remarkable talent of the Ben Aïm for the tragical dance-theatre. ” Rosita Boisseau – Le Monde
Technical Infos 13 people on tour (9 dancers, 3 technicians, 1 tour manager) Performance area Proscenium opening: Wall to wall: Depth: Height:
ideal / minimum 14 m / 9m 20 m / 14 m 11 m / 9m 7.5 m / 4.5 m
Staging: the set is composed by several elements on casters Black dance floor, bare stage Mikes and wireless mikes on stage Set transportation: 10 m3 Setting: the day before the show If pre-setting, pre-hanging
“It is not anymore a question of mute acting, of opposition of dance and text, but of another way of questioning a theatrical device with the tools of dance. And it is fascinating. ” Philippe Verrièle – Webthea
CO-PRODUCERS > ARCADI ; EPCC ONYX-La Carrière de Saint Herblain ; Espace Lino-Ventura / Ville de Torcy ; Espace Culturel André Malraux et Ville du Kremlin-Bicêtre ; CCN de Créteil et du Val-de-Marne / Cie Montalvo-Hervieu ; Ville de Limoges - Centres culturels - scène conventionnée pour la danse ; micadanses/Paris FINANCIAL SUPPORT > DRAC Ile-de-France – Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication ; Conseil Général du Val-de-Marne ; ADAMI TECHNICAL SUPPORT > CDC du Val-de-Marne - Biennale nationale de danse ; Théâtre de Villepreux
CARCASSES, UN ŒIL POUR DEUX PRODUCTION 2004
Duet Running time: 45 minutes All public / from the age of 8
freely inspired from the text “In the solitude of cotton fields” by B.M. Koltès
This choreography, a duet freely inspired by “In the solitude of cotton fields“, a play by Bernard-Marie Koltès, attempts to confront writing with dancing. The word becomes gesture, dancing becomes an encounter with words. In this “tête-à-tête“, sensitively and in a poetical atmosphere, Christian and François Ben Aïm free the savagery and cruelty which marks every combat while at the same time reveal the beauty that fills any encounter.
Conception and performance: Christian et François BEN AÏM Composer: Jean-Charles VERSARI Set designer: Pierre-Antoine THIERRY Light designer: Laurent PATISSIER Costume designer: Anne LAVAL
PRESS :
Technical Infos 5 people on tour (2 dancers, 2 technicians, 1 tour manager) Performance area Proscenium opening : Wall to wall : Depth : Height :
ideal / minimum 12 m / 10 m 14 m 11 m / 8m 5m
“An impressive interpreting of a real male duality, where nothing is fixed, but all is in a constant metamorphosis, where tension collides with relaxation, rapprochement with isolation, straightness with suppleness, everyday life with absurd.” Marie-Noëlle Froger – La République du Centre “ The bound between the two brothers becomes animal, at the same time rude and full of empathy.” M. Chavanieux, La Terrrasse
Staging : trunk of tree, flood lights, black dance floor Black leg and border setting Set transportation : 4/5 m3 Setting : the day before the show If pre-setting, pre-hanging
CO-PRODUCERS > Espace Lino-Ventura-Torcy FINANCIAL SUPPORT > DRAC Ile-de-France TECHNICAL SUPPORT > CCN d’Orléans – Josef Nadj
Ô MON FRERE ! Ô MY BROTHER !
Trio Running time: 25 minutes
PRODUCTION 2001
This piece, inspired by photographs taken by Josef Koudelka, speaks of the silence separating three men deeply wounded by the hardships they have long endured. The work is steeped in the silence found beyond words, the silence echoing down through the centuries, the ancestral silence of tradition and transmission. Three men brought together in a deserted barren space accompanied with shadows and lights
Choreographers: Christian et François BEN AÏM With: Christian BEN AÏM, François BEN AÏM, Eric FESSENMEYER Music: Leonard COHEN Sound arrangement: Hervé DIASNAS Light designer: Laurent PATISSIER
Technical Infos 5 people on tour (3 dancers, 1 technician, 1 tour manager) Performance area Proscenium opening: Depth: Height:
ideal / minimum 10 m / 8 m 8m/ 6m 3.5 m
Staging: Black dance floor Black leg and border setting, cyclorama No set transportation
PRESS :
“With tenderness and a lot of delicacy, this play speaks about the dance of man and the dance of affection in an unusual and yet indispensable tone. ” Philippe Verrièle – Webthea
“Between dance and theatre, they weigh the roughness of life against the beauty of love under the title that fears nothing and nobody: O my brother ! ” Rosita Boisseau – Télérama sortir
Setting: the day J PRODUCTION > CFB 451
Piece for 3 dancers and 2 actors
UN HOMME EN MARCHE A MAN ON HIS WAY PRODUCTION 1999
Running time: 1h All public / from the age of 8
An unpredictable, weird and comical perambulation right inside our revisited everyday life. This work probes the little pleasures and annoyances of our inner lives using moments stolen from a humdrum day. Reality is suddenly apprehended through the prism of fantasies and desires. Reality also reappears in all its novelty, bringing to light the true value of what has already been discovered. Choreographers: Christian et François BEN AÏM With: Christian et François BEN AÏM, Sophie BOCQUET, Sylvain LEGRAND, David THENARD Additional Musics: Oum Kalsom, Led Zepplin, Jürgen Knieper, Mozart Composer: Christophe DEMARTHE Light designer: Caroline NGUYEN
PRESS :
“We spend a wonderful time, at the end, we are deepply moved and full of hope... ” La Marseillaise
Technical Infos 9 people on tour (5 artists, 3 technicians, 1 tour manager) Performance area Proscenium opening: Wall to wall: Depth: Height:
ideal / minimum 10.5 m / 9 m 16 m / 14 m 10 m / 9m 6.5 m / 5m
“The two brothers striked againe...with only 5 dancers they transport the audience in a subway’s corridor at the rush hour ” E. Dubourg, Les Saisons de la Danse
“Touching and virtuoso, the choreography of the Company CFB451 (...). With that performance Ben Aïm brothers present us a wonder of humour and humanity.” Jean-Dominique Burtin – La République du Centre
Staging: some props (chairs, tables, fridge...) Black dance floors, soil on the floor Set transportation: 3/4 m3 Setting: J-1 If pre-setting, pre-hanging
CO-PRODUCERS > Théâtre Le Vanves – Artdanthé, société Abalone TECHNICAL SUPPORT > Ville de Vanves, Théâtre de Villepreux, Cie Eclats d’Art
