Bancs d’essai

Testo is a graveyard haunted by the ghosts of queer history. The performing body becomes possessed by the memories and forgotten figures that inhabit and fragment the mind. The work interrogates the nature of sexual orientation, gender expression, and gender identity, as well as the nature/nurture divide regarding the masculine conditioning toward violence, anger, and invulnerability. Drawing on the tale of Pinocchio, fragments of Hitler’s life, the ideas of Bersani, Preciado, and Dustan, and his own experience of masculinity, the performer examines his relationship to desire, image, and hegemonic masculinity, using the body’s interaction with matter as a form of language.

Onkar means “the one who listens to Mother Earth’s song.” This choreographic duet explores the relationship between two human bodies and their connection to nature, sensations, and the invisible forces surrounding us. Through a stripped-back physical presence, the two performers reveal various facets of the human being: strength, masculinity, gentleness, vulnerability, and tenderness. The duet becomes a space of encounter where bodies listen to and respond to one another, traversing different physical and emotional states.