Created in 2010, Boxe Boxe knocked out all prejudices : in a burlesque and poetic universe, the show played on contrasts and similarities between boxing and dancing. The gong rings out, Boxe Boxe turns into Boxe Boxe Brasil, with a special re-writing of the piece for the Brazilian dancers of the company, revealed in Agwa ten years ago. They enter the ring alongside the Debussy Quartet, offering a new fusion of bodies and strings, where the joyful energy of the Cariocas meets the frenetic rhythm of the violins. A virtuoso confrontation.
Press
"A blend of strength and sensual grace." Le Figaro
"Full of energy, passion and mastery." Agence France Presse
Statements of intent
"I met those young Brazilian dancers during the Dance Biennial in Lyon in 2006. Their individual stories struck a profound chord with me, reminding me how I realized as a teenager that dance was the key to find my place in the society. All of them were driven by a fervent determination to make something of their lives in reaching out to others. The desire to create for them soon appeared obvious. That is how Agwa was born in 2008. Since then, it has been an incredible artistic and human adventure : so many years travelling the world and sharing the passion of dance with unconditional energy.
Today I want a new challenge, taking them further into their exploration of movement and of mixing genres. It is also a choreographic challenge for me to bring together the gesture of these Brazilian dancers with the piece Boxe Boxe (a 2010 production), written for other bodies and to adapt their dance to a new music score, re-worked with the collaboration of the Debussy Quartet. Revisiting a creation is an exciting exercice : resisting to the fleetingness, proving dance is an art well alive, that adapts itself to bodies and energies, extending the pleasure of the show.
It is an impelling gift and I am happy to present it with these fellow travelers.
Following on from the artistic project I have been carrying on for 20 years, this new adaptation is part of a wider dynamic of openness to the world, revealing once again the power of dance to go beyond all boundaries."
"The first round threw all prejudices into the ring’s cords ; the violins’ cords tamed the dancers’ steps, hip-hop figures domesticated the music notes.
Second round improbable all the same ; how will musicians approach musics from the other continent, how will the Brazilian energy be channeled by the sound of instrumental cords ?
Exciting bet because it is not a simple copy-paste of the first round but surely a totally new musical atmosphere left to create so that the fusion of cords and bodies may be perfect once again, in a coloring worthy of the most beautiful sambas. May the party begin !"