W.A.M. - We are Monchichi
Shihya Peng was born in Taiwan but lives in Paris. Marco Di Nardo was born in Naples, but lives in Berlin. How to meet when we have good reasons to avoid each other? How to get along when the ramparts are high? Which language to choose? What to do in the face of clutter caused by cultural stereotypes? What is this dance of weaving and joining, of interstice and fusion? This dance plays with cat and mouse; she works the antagonistic forces as a sculptor her subject.
Here, bodies have their irony, their desire for joy, sometimes their melancholy. Shihya Peng and Marco Di Nardo tend their bodies, like two distorting mirrors, where one discovers oneself more than one recognizes oneself. They wear, fly, fall, do not support each other, then get up and walk together.
We guess an immersed fable, an underground fiction, a dance with universal reach in sequence, accompanied by fragments of texts (Fabrice Melquiot, writing on the set). The two performers seek in a gesture, a leap, a race, a memory of childhood, a country to live with the other, with others. Dance of battle for harmony.
With humor, We are Monchichi speaks to all the audience and questions the multiple identities that we carry in us, as well as the way the other can come to shake them up.
Source: Maison de la Danse de Lyon
Wang, Honji
Wang's dance language is an abstraction of hip hop dance and has influences of earlier martial arts and ballet training. She is recognised as an artist who brings contemporary and hip hop together in an exceptionally organic fashion.
Together with Sébastien Ramirez, Honji Wang received the Bessie Award 2013 as "Outstanding Performer" following the presentation of AP15 at the Apollo Theatre in New York. Their work Monchichi was also one of the 2017 Bessie Award nominees for "Outstanding Production" following its performance at BAM Fisher.
Wang was invited to Madonna’s final auditions in New York, where her outstanding performance earned her an invitation to tour and perform for the Rebel Heart Tour.
In 2016, Wang and Ramirez received a comission from Sadler's Wells to direct and perform a dance work made to Nitin Sawhney’s album Dystopian Dream.
Wang was invited as a guest artist to perform a duo with acclaimed British choreographer Akram Khan titled The Pursuit of Now, which was accompanied by well-known pianist Shahin Novrasli.
She also collaborated with the most avant-garde female flamenco dancer Rocío Molina in the duet Felahikum, as well as with New York City Ballet principal dancer Sara Mearns in the duet NO.1.
Source : Wang/Ramirez
More information : www.wangramirez.com
Ramirez, Sébastien
Ramirez specializes in the use of aerial work as well as choreographic rigging development. Since the foundation of his company, he developed a new vision of space and choreography, bringing hip hop dance to a wider and new audience.
Following the presentation of AP15 at the Apollo Theatre in New York, Sébastien Ramirez and Honji Wang received the Bessie Award 2013 as "Outstanding Performers". Their work Monchichi was one of the 2017 Bessie Award nominees for "Outstanding Production" following its performance at BAM Fisher.
Ramirez contributed to the creation phase of Madonna’s Rebel Heart Tour in New York City and choreographed for her live show.
In 2016, Wang and Ramirez received a comission from Sadler's Wells to direct and perform a dance work made to Nitin Sawhney’s album Dystopian Dream.
He also conducted a personal training on floorwork movement for the creation of Akram Khan’s solo DESH.
Ramirez was also invited by Sadler’s Wells as one of the five choreographers of RIOT OffSpring, a unique dance piece performed to Igor Stravinsky’s iconic The Rite of Spring played by Southbank Sinfonia.
Source : Wang/Ramirez
More information : www.wangramirez.com
Plasson, Fabien
Born in 1977, Fabien Plasson is a video director specialized in the field of performing arts (dance , music, etc).
During his studies at the Ecole Nationale des Beaux-Arts de Lyon (joined in 1995) Fabien discovered video art. He was trained by various video artists (Joel Bartoloméo Pascal Nottoli , Eric Duyckaerts , etc) .
He first experimented with the creation of installations and cinematic objects.
From 2001 to 2011, he was in charge of Ginger & Fred video Bar’s programming at La Maison de la Danse in Lyon. He discovered the choreographic field and the importance of this medium in the dissemination, mediation and pedagogical approach to dance alongside Charles Picq, who was a brilliant video director and the director of the video department at that time.
Today, Fabien Plasson is the video director at La Maison de la Danse and in charge of the video section of Numeridanse.tv, an online international video library, and continues his creative activities, making videos of concerts, performances and also creating video sets for live performances.
Sources: Maison de la Danse ; Fabien Plasson website
More information: fabione.fr
W.A.M. - We are Monchichi
Artistic direction / Conception
:
Honji Wang et Sébastien Ramirez
Choreography
:
Honji Wang et Sébastien Ramirez
Interpretation
:
Honji Wang et Sébastien Ramirez
Artistic consultancy / Dramaturgy
:
Fabrice Melquiot
Set design
:
Ida Ravn
Text
:
Fabrice Melquiot
Original music
:
Ilia Koutchoukov alias Everydayz /+∞
Additionnal music
:
Bachar Mar-Khalifй / Balcoon, Carlos Gardel, Alva Noto, Nick Cave & Warren Ellis
Lights
:
Cyril Mulon
Costumes
:
Ida Ravn
Sound
:
Clément Aubry
Production / Coproduction of the choreographic work
:
Coproduction Théâtre de la Ville - Paris, Scène nationale d’Albi. We are Monchichi a bénéficié d’une aide à la coproduction dans le cadre du Pôle européen de création - Maison de la Danse / Biennale de la danse de Lyon ; DRAC Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, et d’une résidence de création à Lyon. Accueil en résidence Théâtre de l’Archipel, Scène nationale de Perpignan, La Villette / résidences d’artistes, Théâtre de la Ville / Les Abbesses. Soutiens DRAC Occitanie, Conseil régional Occitanie / Pyrénées-Méditerranée. La Compagnie Wang Ramirez - Clash66 est conventionnée par la DRAC Occitanie ainsi que par le Conseil régional Occitanie / Pyrénées-Méditerranée et reçoit une aide à la compagnie du Conseil départemental des Pyrénées Orientales. Honji Wang & Sébastien Ramirez sont artistes associés au Théâtre de la Ville, Paris et artistes accompagnés par l’Archipel, scène nationale de Perpignan
Production / Coproduction of the video work
:
Maison de la Danse de Lyon - Fabien Plasson, 2018