Inspired by the work of Samuel Beckett, with its ten performers coated in clay, May B captures a humanity of poor people, old people, exiles, whose deformed bodies are the antipodes of all classic and idealized representations of the body dancing. Humanity at its most fragile and most moving, continuing its interminable journey no matter what, persisting against all odds in the very heart of an imminent end of the world.
 

“It's over, it's over, it's going to end, maybe it's going to end” are the words that open and end the show – but May B doesn't seem to be about to end it yet: 40 years and 800 performances over late, always the same, always different, the play continues to bring its dust beings to life, to bring back and forth this humanity in rags which, one would say, will never stop passing away.

Maguy Marin was born in Toulouse in 1951 and studied dance at the conservatory there before joining the Strasbourg Ballet. In 1970 she was accepted at Maurice Béjart’s school Mudra, where she stayed three years before becoming a soloist (for four seasons) with the Ballet of the 20th Century, under the direction of Maurice Béjart. A turning point would come at the end of this period seeing her shed all her previously held conceptions “allowing a multitude of creative choices, liberty and also constraints to emerge. Nothing was ever the same”. She also began questioning the body types idealized within the dance world, a subject that would become central in her work. “With Maurice Béjart the body was magnified. Youth, virtuosity, everything sparkled. And I had a problem with that. I asked myself what happened to all those other bodies, the ones that were infirm, misshapen or uncoordinated, but who managed to keep standing nonetheless.” 

Between 1980 and 1997 Maguy Marin was based at the Maison des arts in Créteil, with her company becoming an official Choreographic Centre in 1985. 

From 1998 until 2011 she directed the National Choreographic Centre in Rillieux-la-Pape. After which time the company once again became independent, setting up in Toulouse in order to continue their creative research. In 2015 the company moved again, this time to Sainte Foy-lès-Lyon, where they set up in an old carpentry factory. Their tenure there would allow them to continue to open up the immaterial space of that which is shared, something that obstinately seeks to make itself manifest while encouraging the unfolding of a new ambitious project: RAMDAM, AN ART CENTRE. It is a place of horizontal sharing, dedicated to hosting artists and audience members alike. It is also a place intent on facilitating an on-going exchange and continuous circulation between those conducting research, amateurs, students, spectators and volunteers; as well as creating bridges between different artistic practices, laboratories, places for public relations, education and reflection. 

- 1978: Grand Prix du Concours chorégraphique international de Bagnolet - 2003: Grand Prix de la danse du Syndicat de la critique for
Les applaudissements ne se mangent pas
- 2003: American Dance Festival Award 

- 2006: Special jury prize Syndicat de la critique for Umwelt
- 2008: Bessie Award for Umwelt presented at the Joyce Theater
- 2008: Grand Prix de la danse du Syndicat de la critique for Turba
- 2011: Prix Danza & Danza for “Best Contemporary Dance Piece » for Salves - 2016: Golden Lion, Venice Biennale 

More information : compagnie-maguy-marin.fr

 David Mambouch studied acting at the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts et Techniques du Théâtre before becoming a full-time performer with the Théâtre National Populaire. Parallel to his work with the theatre company, he also performed in films and on television and began writing and directing his own theatrical work while also collaborating on the work of others. He also continued to develop his work as a scriptwriter, writing and directing several short films such as La Grande cause, directed in collaboration with Olivier Borle. As a solo artist or in collaboration with such companies as La Katet Compagnie, La Compagnie Parc, La Compagnie Scènes, La Compagnie Zélid and Le Théâtre Oblique among others, he began exploring multi-disciplinary work in which theatre, dance, music and film intermingle. He also collaborated with the Company Maguy Marin, first as a director for the creation of the film Nocturnes and then as a performer in restagings of May B and Umwelt. 

In 2014 he created the solo Singspiele in collaboration with Benjamin Lebreton and Maguy Marin. He also created the soundtrack for the performance. 

Source : Naïa productions

NAÏA Productions was founded in 2009, on the initiative of Séverine Lathuillière and Philippe Aigle, former Managing Director of MK2 (1997 - 2005) and of Celluloid Dreams (2006 -2008).
"The cinema that we project is a cinema that provokes reflection on a world undergoing rapid change, with the power to share with as many people as possible through strong stories. All our projects are about people who walk, who live, who run, who question their world. So we want to offer our children of fictions a world in which they should live better in order to make them want to build it. We produce both fictions, documentaries, new writing projects, projects for young audiences, for a large audience with different reading levels."

More information: https://naia.pro/