Compagnie 111 / Aurélien Bory (FR)

“Qu’est-ce que tu deviens?”, like the English, “What’s become of you?”, is a question as banal as it is terrifying; It says that time has passed and that changes have occurred. It questions the choices made, and demands an on-the-spot assessment. It shows interest in the person asked, and even love, yet it can also be a sign of disinterest or disenchantment. It is a warning signal, a sting. It forces us to look at the known realm behind us, while the process of becoming propels us into the future, into the unknown.

Aurélien Bory creates a portrait of flamenco dancer Stéphanie Fuster. Dancing against a dress with a mind of its own, from within the confines of a tiny studio, and through a dark square of shallow water, Fuster’s life and art are transfigured in a piece that speaks of the relationship between the outside and the inside space, the lonely passion of flamenco, and our struggle to exist.

Aurélien Bory and his Compagnie 111, which was founded in 2000, have not failed to excite Erlangen with their exhilarating combination of theatre, circus, dance, music and architecture for ten years now. In 2013, “Plan B” featured five dancers, seemingly not affected by gravity, on a tilted wall. With “Sans Objet”, the Compagnie heaved a giant industrial machine on stage of the Markgrafentheater in 2015.

“Questcequetudeviens?” is the conclusion of a trilogy, with which Aurélien Bory portrays outstanding dancers. The first two parts “Plexus” and “Ash” were featured in the programme of the figuren.theater.festival in 2017 and 2019.