Hocus Pocus

11 October, 15.00-00.00 ONLINE

With support of Pro Helvetia – Swiss Arts Council

Cie Philippe Saire, Switzerland

“Hocus Pocus”

Hocus Pocus, a 45-minute work for two performers intended for children aged 7+, is mainly based on the power of images, their magic and the sensations they provoke. The very unique set design allows for a playful and magical exploration into a game of appearances and disappearances of both bodies and accessories.

The brotherly relationship that develops between the two dancers constitutes the show’s guiding thread, both through the hardships they create for themselves to toughen themselves up and through the fantastic voyage that subsequently awaits them.

Concept and choreography Philippe Saire

Choreography in collaboration with dancers Philippe Chosson, Mickaël Henrotay-Delaunay

Stage device realisation Léo Piccirelli

Props and accessories Julie Chapallaz, Hervé Jabveneau

Sound design Stéphane Vecchione

Technical director Vincent Scalbert

Construction Cédric Berthoud

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Photography Maude Pache, Philippe Pache, Philippe Weissbrodt

Executive directior Pauline Coppée

Promotion Guillaume Lauruol

Communication/PR & production Martin Genton

Accounting Régina Zwahlen

 

Coproduction

Le Petit Théâtre de Lausanne (created October 25^th 2017 at Le Petit Théâtre de Lausanne), Jungspund — Theatre Festival for Young Audiences St.Gallen

A coproduction in the frame of Fund Young Audiences by Reso – Dance Network Switzerland. With the support of Pro Helvetia.

Support and partners

Cie Philippe Saire is governed by a joint support agreement between the City of Lausanne, Canton of Vaud and Pro Helvetia – Swiss Arts Council ; and is supported by Loterie Romande, Fondation de Famille Sandoz, Migros Culture Percentage, Corodis, Fondation Françoise Champoud

Cie Philippe Saire is in permanent residency at Théâtre Sévelin 36, Lausanne.

Recommended age by theatre — 7 +

Duration — 45 min.

Official site — www.philippesaire.ch

To this day, key player in the Swiss contemporary dance scene Philippe Saire has created some thirty shows, in addition to performances and short films. His interests include visual arts and theatre, fields that feature in his consistently intense and refined works, which often carry a touch of darkness. Philippe Saire was born in Algeria in 1957. He spent there the first five years of his life. After moving to Lausanne, he trained in contemporary dance before going abroad – including a spell in Paris – to pursue his training. In 1986, he created his own company in the region of Lausanne, Switzerland, which went on to develop its own creative repertoire and actively contributed to the emergence of contemporary dance throughout Switzerland. In 1995, the Compagnie Philippe Saire inaugurated its own creative workspace, the Théâtre Sévelin 36. Located in Lausanne, the theatre is dedicated to contemporary dance and hosts performances of international stature, as well as local dance acts, in a bid to help promote local companies. In 1998, Philippe Saire was awarded the Grand Prix by the Fondation Vaudoise pour la Promotion et les Créations Artistiques That same year, he won the Prix d’auteur of Conseil général de Seine-Saint-Denis (France), at the Sixth International Choreographic Meeting, for his piece Étude sur la Légèreté. And in 2004, ProTanz Zurich awarded him the Swiss dance and choreography prize. From 2003 onwards, Philippe Saire taught movement at the Manufacture – an advanced theatre school in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. In 2013, Théâtre Sévelin 36 is the laureate of the “Prix spécial de danse” awarded by the Office fédéral de la culture. From its foundation in 1986, the Philippe Saire Company has created some thirty shows, with more than 1,800 performances in 200 cities across Europe, Africa, Asia, the Middle East and America. Cie Philippe Saire is in permanent residency at Théâtre Sévelin 36, Lausanne.

 Vacarme, Étude sur la Légèreté, Vie et Mœurs du Caméléon Nocturne, La Haine de la Musique, Les Affluents, [ob]seen, Could I just draw your attention to the brevity of life?, Cartographies and Black Out are some of the productions that have enabled Cie Philippe Saire to build an international reputation. The Company also performs regularly at art galleries, in gardens, urban spaces and other outdoor venues. From 2002 to 2012, the Cartographies project, which combines performances and video production, has born witness to Saire’s constant desire to get dance out of the interior performing space. The 11 in situ choreographies, filmed by 9 producers from French-speaking Switzerland, including Lionel Baier, Fernand Melgar, Bruno Deville, Pierre-Yves Borgeaud and Philippe Saire himself, were shown 300 times in festivals around the world. This taste for experimentation also led to the creation of a an ongoing series called Dispositifs with choreographies on the verge of visual arts: In Black Out (creation 2011, 150th performance in 2015!), the movements of the dancers draw shapes in some black substance on stage while the audience watch from above. NEONS (2014) stages a couple dancing in a world of lights and shadows. With Vacuum, Saire explores further the visual perception of movement with lyrical and inspiring result, as it moves forward through the history of art, from Renaissance paintings to photographic development. Cie Philippe Saire is governed by a joint support agreement between the City of Lausanne, Canton of Vaud and Pro Helvetia – Swiss Arts Council.