The French Institute in India, in collaboration with the Alliance Française Network, presents ELEVATION, a visually striking double bill by the Yoann Bourgeois Art Company and Compagnie ISI, marking the first Indian tour for both companies.
Organised by the French Embassy in India, the tour continues France’s long-standing commitment to introducing leading contemporary performing artists to Indian audiences, following previous acclaimed tours by choreographers Mourad Merzouki and (La)Horde from the National Ballet of Marseille.
Scheduled across three cities — Bengaluru (17 & 18 January), Ahmedabad (24 January), and Delhi (1 February) — ELEVATION brings together two powerful aerial works that explore suspension, balance, and the timeless human desire to transcend physical and emotional limits.
The double bill features Approach 17. Opening Act, choreographed by internationally acclaimed French artist Yoann Bourgeois, and Dialogue au Mât (Le Mât) by choreographer and performer Lucas Struna. Though distinct in form, both works share a poetic language of ascent and descent, stillness and motion, engaging deeply with gravity as both a physical force and a metaphor for human resilience.
Approach 17. Opening Act unfolds around a minimalist staircase set to the opening movement of a composition by Philip Glass. Using a hidden trampoline, each fall, rebound and moment of suspension transforms ordinary movement into a hypnotic visual experience. The performance centres on the fleeting instant of suspension — the moment when the body reaches its highest point, just before gravity reclaims it.
Describing his artistic approach, Bourgeois notes that by simplifying movement and structure, the work reaches an intensity that allows it to exist beyond cultural or geographical boundaries.
Following this, Dialogue au Mât draws inspiration from Mallakhamb, one of India’s oldest physical disciplines. After training in Mumbai with renowned master Uday Deshpande, Struna reimagined the form into a contemporary aerial solo performed on a vertical pole. The piece blends dance and acrobatics, reflecting a deeply personal journey shaped by Indo-French cultural exchange.
Together, the two performances place live movement in dialogue with public space, architecture and landscape, offering Indian audiences a rare chance to experience contemporary aerial choreography outside conventional theatre settings.
Tour Schedule
Delhi – Lodhi Art District Festival (in collaboration with St+Art): 1 February 2026
Bengaluru – Freedom Park (as part of BLR Hubba Festival): 17 & 18 January 2026
Ahmedabad – Kanoria Centre for Arts: 24 January 2026
