Compagnie Philippe Saire: Black Out

Three people lounge on a white roof in the sun. Suddenly a large quantity of something black falls from the sky. It seems to be raining ash. From the unusual audience position of a clinical observer, namely from above the stage, we study how the three subjects engage with the black flood – how they sink, how they learn to live with their situation, how the shadows grow and how they themselves become shadows. Visually conceived like a drawing or a constantly changing mosaic, Philippe Saire’s parable deals with slow disappearance, with the erasure of oneself. As in action painting, the bodies leave traces in the blackness and mark out futuristic paths in the dust to whose dominance they are bound to succumb. The choreographer from Lausanne experiments with novel perspectives and diverse materials. Philippe Saire takes dance out of the theatre. His company performs in galleries, gardens, in urban space and on open land. Since its world premiere in 2011, Black Out has had almost 200 performances throughout the world.

„The transition from light to darkness, from life to death, from oil slick to raining ashes… Philippe Saire’s Black Out is a masterstroke that is watched from above: a moving picture of light, muscle and rubber dust.“ – L’Hebdo, Lausanne

„The valiant performers and their poses now summon up figures from ancient Pompeii, felled as they worked or slept, immobilized in volcanic ash. Brutality. Devastation. This is the way the world ends.“ – DanceBeat, New York

„For the whole show, the audience is given to try out an unusual viewpoint on the dancing bodies and, in the relentless minutes, the scenic ingenuity of Black Out stands out (…) The language of movement also applies to the spectator who, in his position, is in turns witness or voyeur, brought to empathy or repulsion. He will not get away unscathed from this invading matter, which dissolves all outlines and images.” – La Terrasse, Paris

Concept & Choreography: Philippe Saire | Premiere: November 18, 2011, Lausanne | Duration: 45 minutes no intermission