“The floor collapses, the music bends, images sweat and bodies swell, until the space bursts open. This is “The Thing-in-itself”. This thing could be a boxing ring, a playground, a basement, a gas station in the middle of nowhere.  What is space made of? What are we made of? Space and bodies are full of questions, overflowing with desires. There is the desire to play, to mix one's body with that of another; a thirst for intimacy. The two performers on stage have created a space for themselves, a landscape of their interiority. The audience is invited to get lost in the manoeuvres and experiments of The Thing-in-Itself”


“The Thing-in-itself” is a performative exploration born from the convergence of circus and martial arts. In DIY theatrical spaces, with simple yet powerful imagery, the piece visually draws inspiration from the structures and symbols of a boxing match. A light suspended above a training mat, a crowd surrounding two acrobats, exposing them in the middle of a hypothetical ring. Grounded in the biomechanics of combat sports, the physical vocabulary emphasizes partnership and groundwork. Through repetition and the exhaustion of movements, vulnerability is explored to bring forth moments of intimacy and tension. Two bodies touching, two bodies striving, two bodies changing, transforming, and being present and available to each other.


“The Thing-in-itself” presents itself as a provocative question about what circus can be, where its limits lie, and what potentials are latent within it.

CREDITS

Creation and Performance: Anna Kichtchenko & Pablo Pramparo | Dramaturgy: Sebastian Kann | Scenography: The Chita Project | Scenographic Consultant: Audrée Juteau Lewka & Emily Tucker | Sound Design: Joël Lavoie & The Chita Project | Costumes: Camille Thibault-Bédard | Artistic Advisor: Nicolas Cantin | Lighting Designer: Paul Chambers



With the support of the Montreal Arts Council, the Canada Council for the Arts, and the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec.