Created by Françoid Chaignaud and Aymeric Hainaux, the show Mirlitons, presented in the Pasolini space in Valenciennes, transports you to another dimension. By mixing the beatboxing talent of Aymeric Hainaux and the incredible dance skills of François Chaignaud, this show manages to tell us the story of two soldiers by only using their body, costumes and accessories.
The simplicity of the show allows us to focus on their relationship and how the music creates tremenduous emotion within the viewer. Through the expression of their bodies and voices, we can deeply sympathise with what the two characters have been through. Tiredness, pain…This show is truly an experience of the senses where every aspect of the performance is used to make the audience feel like they’re a part of it. The artists create directly a link with the audience by using eye contact or even physical touch by, for example, sitting directly on them.
Sound is truely the heart of the show. The beatboxer creates the base of the music with his mouth, something really powerful that you do not see coming when you start the show. The dancer is also an instrument himself because he is using his body and especially his feet to create sounds that harmonise beautifully. «Qu’est qui meurt mais danse encore ?» or in english « What’s dead but still dancing ? »is repeated often during the show. Since the context of the story is so blurred, we can see a hundred messages in these six words.
The simplicity of the show allows us to focus on their relationship and how the music creates tremenduous emotion within the viewer. Through the expression of their bodies and voices, we can deeply sympathise with what the two characters have been through. Tiredness, pain…This show is truly an experience of the senses where every aspect of the performance is used to make the audience feel like they’re a part of it. The artists create directly a link with the audience by using eye contact or even physical touch by, for example, sitting directly on them.
Sound is truely the heart of the show. The beatboxer creates the base of the music with his mouth, something really powerful that you do not see coming when you start the show. The dancer is also an instrument himself because he is using his body and especially his feet to create sounds that harmonise beautifully. «Qu’est qui meurt mais danse encore ?» or in english « What’s dead but still dancing ? »is repeated often during the show. Since the context of the story is so blurred, we can see a hundred messages in these six words.
Light also plays a huge part in the show. As the performance is involving, we can see the lights slowly disappearing as if it were a metaphor of the actors‘s physical situation. You also can see the sweat and tears of both actors which show us how physical this performance is.
What is truly beautiful about this show is how everyone can have their own experience of it. Every person can see and interpret the music or the dance as something unique that only going to make sense for them. It is quite complicated to describe what we saw because everyone has experienced something different and analyzed the show in their own way. The best way to understand what we saw last night is to see it to create your own vision.
Solène Dalex
