It has been three years since Jeroen Verbruggen was obsessed by the character of Bambi. This dancer from the Ballets de Monte-Carlo regularly experiences periods where his entire mind is preoccupied with a specific animal. A few years ago, there were goldfish swimming around the fishbowl in his head and after an intense workshop he freed himself of them. Once again, it was Jean-Christophe Maillot who helped him to exorcise the deer that haunted him. At the request of the choreographer-director of the Ballets de Monte-Carlo, Jeroen Verbruggen worked with the Paris-based fashion designers and stylists «On aura tout vu», who made a name for themselves in Monaco after designing the recent exhibition of dolls from the Galéa collection at Villa Sauber. There was an instant chemistry between the young choreographer interested in exploring the fears that make us grow up and the designers who like to distort the rules of fashion.
Kill Bambi is a nervous and agitated choreography, like these fawns, always alert to «danger», an enigmatic expression used to wonderful effect by Disney in his film to denote Man. This same danger killed Bambi’s mother and left him with no choice but to grow up. A gunshot which propels Bambi into an adult world, its detonation, followed by silence sounding the irrevocable start of a ruined childhood. In this piece by Jeroen Verbruggen, the danger takes on various forms, the highway for example, and every time it strikes, a large red curtain descends upon the stage.
Through Kill Bambi, a work as chaotic as it is minimalist (the two ideas are not incompatible for the choreographer), Jeroen Verbruggen ponders what it means to grow up, this seemingly-unending, strange and perpetual initiation.
«Growing up...
Some take their time while others rush ahead.
Some refuse while others eagerly await it.
Often, events and chance speed up the passage of time without asking for our opinion.
And then, there are those who seek to return to their childhood.
But is it really possible to turn back the clock?
This is the question asked by Kill Bambi, and that’s why I wanted to start with the end.
On going back, the pain is still there. It threatens us and returns, made even more intense by the acuteness of an eye which has grown old and which can sometimes face it with humour (Jeroen Verbruggen).
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| Livia Stoianova from on aura tout vu |
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| Yassen Samouilov from on aura tout vu |
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| the repetitions |
