A commissioned work by Marine Rixhon & Anne-Flore de Rochambeau

Drawing inspiration from Mount Everest expeditions that have turned perilous, By the Skin of Your Teeth (BTSOYT) delves into the delicate balance between choice and fate, survival and demise.

Embodying both fragility and a combative physicality fuelled by adrenaline, bodies surge, orbit, rise and fall, push themselves to their limits. A choreographic parable that stretches the tipping point to reveal perilous moral questions.

“The strength of the proposal lies in a dramaturgy of bodies bringing a human dimension to the formalism at play. The interaction is first and foremost sensory, their dance, very embodied, and from the sweetness gradually emerges a curve of violence.”

- Mélanie Carpentier, Le Devoir

PRESS

“Who holds the control? What is our individual power and power over others? A physical and mental battle that the two performers explore in an environment that surpasses them. Their shadows manifest their forces of greatness varying from one extreme to the other. This superior force, this survival instinct, is present in every individual. They fight and surrender in this space, this reality with multiple possibilities.”

- Tiffanie Boffa, Df Danse, February 5.

“The two slender bodies help and intertwine in repeated movements, leading to a mutual comfort in this persistent cohesion. These movements grow more and more, bringing great voluptuousness of gestures, delicacy, and an intoxicating presence. Some hypnotic freeze frames. A very beautiful work of light adding depth to the movements, they stretch and deform gradually. On the wooden backdrop, projected shadows give a physical and poetic perspective to the work's theme.”

- Lucie Lesclauze, Df Danse, February 5.

“Parallel to each other, they move their arms from right to left at a constant pace. I feel like they oscillate between two worlds, between two universes. Subtle music starts, allowing the two performers to establish a new rhythm with their arms. The same movement continues for a while. A circle is then drawn on the floor, strangely creating the illusion of being in space. This element seems well chosen by the creators of the show, with the key theme being the phenomenon of black holes and the ascent of Everest.”

- Mélanie Carpentier, Le Devoir, February 2, 2018.

Credits

BY THE SKIN OF YOUR TEETH

Commission: Marine Rixhon, Anne-Flore de Rochambeau

Choreography: David Albert-Toth, Emily Gualtieri

Music:
Antoine Berthiaume
Lighting Design:
Jon Cleveland
Collaborators : Ariane Dessaulles, Marie Mougeolle, Milan Panet-Gigon

Residencies offered graciously by :
Département de danse de l’Université du Québec à Montréal
Espace Marie Chouinard
Maison de la culture NDG
Tangente

Dancers:
Marine Rixhon, Anne-Flore de Rochambeau

2018
35 minutes
2 performers

Premiered at Tangente Laboratoire Mouvements Contemporains, 2018

All photos © Frederic Chais
Video © David Albert-Toth

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