»(…) William, what are you doing ifyou are not dancing‹ Barbara asked. ›Oh that’s a good question, I am actually dancing all the time…‹ William said. ›And you?‹ ›And me, why do I do dance? I do dance because it makes me feel elegant, it’s good for my body... And if I don’t dance, I very often collect crystal balls... (…)«

Barbara and William, two hybrid characters fluctuating somewhere between the world of ballroom dancing and the good old musical, rooted in a wide field full of rhythm, voice, sound and pure nonsense, were born in 2010 when choreographers Magdalena Chowaniec and Mathieu Grenier first met. Since this very moment of wearing orange make up, sprinkled with shiny hair spray, they have been busy mastering their skills in rumba, salsa, tap dancing, singing and getting along. Exploring the physical partnership and the social relations of dance competitions in discourse with the current situation of the world, Barbara and William manifest their second nature which reaches beyond the artificial smiles and technique. Reaching for gold, they lead us through a mad concerto of humorous and at times crazy moving images.

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CONCEPT, RESEARCH, CHOREOGRAPHY, PERFORMANCE: Magdalena Chowaniec und Mathieu Grenier
DRAMATURGY: Isnelle da Silveira
LIGHT, STAGE: Nico de Rooij
SOUND: Mathieu Grenier
PRODUCTION: Lisa Schmidt

PRODUCTION: VierHochDrei and Tanzquartier Wien
SUPPORTED BY: MA 7 – Kulturabteilung der Stadt Wien
ARTIST RESIDENCIES: Centre international d’accueil et d’échanges des Récollets Paris, Micadanses Paris, CND in Paris, WP ZiMMER Antwerp
THANKS TO Les Ballets C de la B, Gent