In this piece Christian and François Ben Aïm attempt to explore desire, the source of powerful forces, a boundless energy that continually pushes the body to move in an inordinate quest towards an inaccessible goal. Conceived as the driving force of the performers on stage, it breathes life into them, giving each movement a spontaneous sense of urgency that is by turn creative or destructive.
What state does our perpetual yearning plunge us into ?
How does desire interfere with our gestures and movements?
What relationships does it prompt us to form with others?
Are we thinking puppets in an unconscious or invisible world?

La légèreté des tempêtes (Lightness of storms) analyses the states into which the beings around us are plunged by their irrational appetites.

THE MUSIC: ANOTHER CHARACTER IN THE PIECE

The music plays a central role in this piece, because the musicians appear on stage with the dancers, and the set design puts them at the forefront.

The choreographers commissioned composer Jean-Baptiste Sabiani to write an original score, which is performed on stage by a contemporary group of three cellists and a singer-percussionist. La légèreté des tempêtes is the fourth composition Jean-Baptiste Sabiani has created for Christian and François Ben Aïm. For the first time, they asked the composer to write the score before the rehearsals. This meant they had to adopt a new approach that involved writing the choreography based on the music.

A CONVULSIVE DANCE

Christian and François Ben Aïm explore the frontiers of desire through a precise, convulsive style of writing that manifests as a succession of sensations and resonances, consisting of rupture, urgency and grace, leading to states of suspense and swirling, resistance and release, chaos and calm. 

The performers are gripped, sometimes involuntarily, by states, emotions and impulses that overtake them and that they can see working inside them. It doesn’t matter whether these states are joyous, serious or distressing – the dancers observe the reactions they arouse in them with the same interest, simply for the pleasure of the experience. 

Through the prism of these contrasts, the choreographers create an insightful map of the world that surrounds us, and experience its harsh realities on our bodies, thoughts and feelings.  

Christian and François Ben Aïm studied dance, physical theatre and circus skills before setting out to develop their performing careers independently in Canada and France.

They began collaborating in 1997 when they co-created their first piece, and went on to form their own company, CFB 451, in 1999. To date they have choreographed some twenty pieces together.

Their first piece, A l’abri du regard des hommes, avant d’aller mourir ailleurs, represents a cornerstone in their production. It is a hybrid piece in which dancers and actors feed off each other’s raw physical energy. La Frontera and Ne vous fiez pas au titre, il peut encore changer followed in the same vein, showcasing a style of dance that blends subtle humour with elements of surprise. In 2004 and 2006 they worked on a diptych inspired by the work of playwright Bernard-Marie Koltès, Carcasses, un œil pour deux and En plein cœur. The set designs and original musical scores of both pieces resonate with the texts. 

Music has since played an increasingly significant role in their creations. Many of their choreographies are performed to original musical compositions (You're a bird, now!, Amor Fati Fati Amor, Louves, Résistance au droit, L'ogresse des archives et son chien, La forêt ébouriffée). In You're a bird, now! and L'ogresse des archives et son chien, the musicians and/or singer are part of the stage set and perform their music live.

The score for La légèreté des tempêtes (2014) was composed before the choreography was written, a first for the company. This allowed composer Jean-Baptiste Sabiani a great deal of creative freedom to interpret the theme of the piece. The music is played on stage by three cellists and a singer-percussionist.