Eclipse - Collectif clowns d`ailleurs et d`ici

Collectif clowns d’ailleurs et d’ici
&
Phare Ponleu Selpak
present
Eclipse
European tour: January – February 2016
© Phare, The Cambodian Circus
Re-creation 2013
Staging : Det KHUON, Bonthoeun HOUN (Phare Ponleu Selpak)
Phil NOBLE (Philippines Educational Theater Association)
With Agathe OLIVIER from the company LES COLPORTEURS
Introduction
Phare Ponleu Selpak (PPS), meaning "the brightness of the arts" finds its origins in drawing workshops
organized in 1986 at Site 2, a refugee camp at the Thai border. The association was founded in 1994 in
Battambang by a group of young adults who participated in these workshops, following their return to
their hometown. Phare Ponleu Selpak is a Cambodian non-governmental organization that aims to
support community development by offering social, educational and cultural services to vulnerable
children and their families.
For over 15 years, the circus school has been welcoming and training children and adolescents in many
circus disciplines: acrobatics, juggling, balance, contortion, trapeze and clown. PPS shows mix various
disciplines, breath-taking circus skills, choreographed theatre scenes and live music. Priority is given to
the creation without rejecting any external influence, although Khmer roots remain ever-present.
Since 2001, a partnership brings the Collectif clowns d’ailleurs et d’ici (CCAI), a French association
located in Pantin (93) and Phare Ponleu Selpak together in the aim of supporting and developing the
circus school by improving the teachers’ and the technicians’ skills as well as the artistic level. Thanks to
this partnership, many students were able to train in French circus schools (CNAC, ENACR, Lomme,
Bordeaux, etc). Phare Ponleu Selpak also welcomed numerous performing arts professionals, who came
to share their skills and participate in the creation of performances set to tour internationally, in
collaboration with Khuon Det, the artistic director.
2003
Bong Touch Bong Thom & Co – France, Spain
2005
De 4 à 5 – France, Spain, Algeria
Phum Style and Holiday – France
2006
De 4 à 5 – France, Italy
Phum Style and Holiday – France, Spain
2007
De 4 à 5 – France, Switzerland, Germany, Spain
Holiday – Japan
2008
Phum Style – France, Spain, Netherlands
2009
Putho! – France, Spain, Italy, Belgium
Phum Style – France
2010
Putho! – France, Italy, Belgium
Royaumes – France
2011
Putho! – France, Germany
Royaumes – France
2012
Sokha – France
2013
Sokha – France, Italy
2014
Sokha – France
Eclipse – France
2015
Chills – France
May - August 2016 : European tour : CHILLS
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Eclipse
ECLIPSE is the result of a collaboration between artists from PPS, musicians, circus performers and
actors, Agathe Olivier from the company Les Colporteurs, and the Philippine Educational Theatre
Association (PETA). The artistic skills and complementary experiences of each created a contemporary
performance, colored with references to Cambodian culture, supporting the fight against discrimination.
The story takes place in a small, typical Khmer village, where all the villagers know each other and lead a
peaceful life among the community. In this village, being different is a crime. The day a strange man
arrives in the hermetic village, he cruelly suffers from the systematic discrimination he falls victim to.
Abandoned by all, he turns to the gods and prays for their intervention.
They answer his prayers by transforming him into a beautiful woman. When she appears in the village,
all men fall madly in love and try by all means to win her affection. At the same time, a plague begins to
consume the villagers one by one. Suspicion falls on the young woman, who is accused of being the
source of the plague. She is sentenced to death by the villagers. What follows is an epic chase through
the Cambodian countryside, leading to a spectacular climax.
Born from a workshop instigated by PETA on the use of arts to explore issues around sexuality, disability
and difference, this show tackles the question of discrimination in all its forms. Eclipse is primarily an
advocacy on social stigma and ethical responsibility. As a punishment for their attitude of rejection, the
eclipse is sent by the gods to disturb the tranquility of the village.
The show is built like a fable: the intrigue is fed with symbolic connotations, enhanced by a breathtaking
succession of circus and dance numbers. The scene is set in the middle of rice fields, where artists rival
with virtuosity to offer us pieces of the life of a small Cambodian village, steeped in tradition, popular
beliefs and religious worship.
The stage design of Eclipse and the choreographed ensemble scenes, mixed with the physical feats
performed by the young artists with their communicative energy, make of this piece an explosive show
whose message resonates strongly with the audience, whether Cambodian or international.
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© JF Mousseau/ Phare Ponleu Selpak
Artistic means
All the elements that make up Eclipse - dance, set design, themes and plot - combine to offer the viewer
a glimpse of Khmer culture and Cambodian life.
Stage design
The bare stage design of Eclipse accentuates the beauty of the choreographed scenes. A simple black
and white square is stretched in the background, while the movement of lights and the actors evolve as
the story goes. Common thread of the performance, the light
attracts the viewer's gaze towards the acrobat while stressing out
the symbolic elements of the plot. Bamboo is used as an accessory
and circus apparatus to strengthen the sobriety of the sets and give
it a traditional feel.
Choreography
Simply dressed in the traditional clothes and sacred tattoos of the
Khmer peasants, the artists convey their emotions through their
body and skills. The spirit of community carried through the show is
enhanced by ensemble scenes choreographed with style and
intelligence.
Music
The two musicians of the troupe use traditional Khmer and modern
instruments to reflect the intensity and the emotions conveyed in
the show. The rhythmic structure they set is the frame of the show.
Thanks to a clever mix of xylophones, guitars and percussions, they
manage to create a surprisingly varied and mesmerizing
atmosphere, evoking the sounds of Cambodian life.
© JF Mousseau/ Phare Ponleu Selpak
Circus techniques
Disappeared from Cambodian culture after the Khmer Rouge regime and decades of civil war, circus was
originally present in the Khmer cultural heritage, as evidenced by some bas-reliefs that can be found on
the temples of Angkor, a hundred kilometers away from the circus school of Phare Ponleu Selpak.
For nearly 20 years, the school has been applying to revive the circus, in a mixture of tradition and
contemporaneity. In this line, the artists of Eclipse present acrobatics, lifts, juggling and contortion
numbers with natural virtuosity and breathtaking vitality. They also perform high quality Chinese pole,
staps and teeter board numbers.
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© Michal Josephy/ Phare Ponleu Selpak
Artistic team
Eclipse is the result of a collaboration between Khuon Det, founder and artistic director of Phare Ponleu
Selpak and Agathe Olivier, tightrope walker and founder of the company Les Colporteurs.
KHUON Det
KHUON Det grows up in a refugee camp at the Thai border, where he took part in drawing workshops
but also martial arts and gymnastics classes. Upon his return to Cambodia in 1992, he takes an internship
at the National Circus School of Phnom Penh, primarily focusing on learning teaching skills. As founder of
Phare Ponleu Selpak in 1994, he founds the circus school in 1998 and stages many of its productions.
Det wrote and directed the show Eclipse in 2009, following a workshop organized by PETA, with the help
of Phil Noble, artist and director from the Philippines. In 2013, the show is reworked on by Det and
Agathe Olivier.
OLIVIER Agathe
Tightrope walker at the National Circus School Annie Fratellini, Agathe meets Antoine Rigot in 1979.
Together they create a duo on wire with which they obtain in 1983 a silver medal at the World Circus of
Tomorrow Festival. Follows a circus career during which they work with Circus Roncalli, participate in the
creation of the famous Cirque du Soleil, take part in the birth of La Volière Dromesko ...
They receive the Grand Prix National du Cirque in 1993 and create Amore Captus, a show where the wire
symbolizes the complexity and fragility of the relationship between a man and a woman. In 1996 they
found the company Les Colporteurs and create Filao (1997), Metamorfosi (2002), Diabolus in Musica
(2003), Le Fil sous la neige (2006), Les Etoiles (2007), Sur la route ... (2009). They receive the SACD Circus
Arts award in 2008.
Agathe meets Phare Ponleu Selpak in 2010 during a tour in France organized by the CCAI. The work done
by Agathe on Eclipse is the result of a long-awaited partnership between the rapidly growing Cambodian
circus and a big name in the French contemporary circus.
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The artists
The artists of Eclipse are part of the fourth generation of students from the circus school of Phare Ponleu
Selpak. They are between 20 and 25 years old, and are mostly from disadvantaged families of the
community surrounding the PPS compound.
They have been training in circus daily for about 8 years, and have now reached a professional level.
They already have a lot of stage experience through the many shows they were part of. Their first public
performance under the PPS big top took place in 2007 with the show Ghosts, followed by School Day and
Wicked Kids in 2009, where talent and artistic personalities were discovered and encouraged to grow.
Some artists have lived a first experience abroad with the show Rice Country, which toured in Germany
in 2010. In parallel, two artists of the group studied different circus disciplines at the National Circus
School of Hanoi, Vietnam, for a year, then at the National Circus Arts School of Rosny-sous-Bois for two
years. They returned to Battambang in 2012 to share with their group the benefits of their training
through workshops in Chinese pole and straps.
Eight artists from the troupe took part in the creation of the show Rouge, by the French-Khmer
choreographer Sarosi Nay of UBI Company. This three-year project led to a tour in France and the UK in
the spring of 2012. This mix of dance and circus was a piece depicting the takeover of the Khmer Rouge
in Cambodia and the life in the camps.
In August 2012, the troupe came together and shared their experience to create the show Eclipse. It is
performed regularly under the big tops of Phare Ponleu Selpak in Battambang and Siem Reap.
© JF Mousseau/ Phare Ponleu Selpak
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Calendar
> January to March 2016
Confirmed dates
Lille 3000 au Prato - Lille (59): 8 to 10 January / 3 representations
APSOAR - Annonnay (07): 22 January / 2 representations
Le Figuier Blanc - Argenteuil (95): 27 January / 2 representations
Pôle Jeune Public - Le Revest-les-Eaux (13) in Théâtre Europe - La Seyne-sur-Mer (83):
3 to 7 February / 6 representations
Soirée d’ISIS - Pargny-Filain (02) / 20 February / 1 representation
Waiting
Ville de Saint-Etienne (69)
Cirque Imagine, Vaulx en Velin (69)
Festival les Elancées à Istres (13)
La Quintaine - Chasseneuil du Poitou (83)
Ville de Villers-Cotterêts (02)
A version of this show is also available with fire.
© Michal Josephy/ Phare Ponleu Selpak
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Pics
© JF Mousseau/ Phare Ponleu
Selpak
© JF Mousseau/ Phare Ponleu Selpak
© JF Mousseau/ Phare Ponleu Selpak
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Distribution
Staging: Det KHUON (Phare Ponleu Selpak) and Phil NOBLE (Philippines Educational Theater Association)
Artistic Collaboration: Agathe OLIVIER (Compagnie LES COLPORTEURS)
Music creation: NORNG Chantha et PANG Sopheap
Artistes:
BO Ratha, CHEAT Sopheak, CHUOB Kanha, HENG Chhaya, HOK Sithang, HOUN Sopheap,
KHUON Chanveasna, MONNY Ratanaksombath, NOV Sreyleak, PAY Phearum, SAN Samedi,
SIM Chantha
Musicians: PRAK Englean, NGAM Rattanak
Technician: CHHUON Bunthet
Production: Phare Ponleu Selpak et le Collectif clowns d’ailleurs et d’ici
Coproduction: Compagnie Isis
Support :
Région Île-de- France, Spedidam, Adami, Fondation EDF, Ecole Nationale de Cirque de
Châtellerault (ENCC); in partnership with les 3T-Théâtres de Châtellerault, and La Merise à
Trappes
Work session: Ecole de cirque de Châtellerault, in partnership with les 3T, La Merise à Trappes
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Technical rider
Detailed specifications: upon request
Bus access to the stage (12m long, 3.5m high, 2.5m wide). Provide a guarded parking space for the duration of the
contract.
Duration
Sound
1 hour
Micro kit for drums (1 micro Kick, 1 micro Snare, 1
micro Tom, 1 OH format stylet)
4 micros type SM 58 + stands (1 for Khum (string
instrument) + 1 for Roneat (wooden percussions) + 2
for flutes)
2 headset mics
3 DI (2 piano + 1 guitar)
4 top speakers
2 sub speakers
4 monitors
1 wireless mic
1 sound mixer 16 channels
Cables for the whole system
1 mini jack stereo cable for computer
Reverb effect processor
Team (18 people)
12 artists, 2 musicians, 1 technician
1 Cambodian stage director
2 French coordinators
Stage
Proscenium opening: 10 meters
Depth: 10 meters
Height: 7 meters
Floor: black dance carpet
Musicians area: 3x3 meters
1 chair and 1 drums stool for the musicans.
Hangers and minimum 3 racks backstage.
Lights
20 PC1000
10 Source For
26 PAR 64 medium
2 stands 5 meters high with 7 hooks on each
Light console 30 circuits with chaser, crossfade, dimmer,
etc + user manual
If performance outside
14 PC on stands
3 ramps front stage
Provide 2 black pieces of fabric - 5m20 large and
3m20 high
Provide lights backstage
Changing rooms
For 14 people backstage with mirrors, electricity, tables,
chairs, running water, toilets close to the stage area.
20 liters of water at the troupe’s arrival for the set up.
Catering with fresh and dried fruit, biscuits, juice, water .
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© Phare, The Cambodian Circus
Contacts
Collectif clowns d’ailleurs et d’ici
61, rue Victor Hugo
93500 Pantin
FRANCE
+ 33 (0)1 48 43 39 17 / + 33 (0) 6 81 06 01 65
www.ccai.fr
Aurélia Immacolato
Tour manager
[email protected]
Ella Berkovich
Administration
[email protected]
Phare Ponleu Selpak
P.O Box 316 Battambang,
CAMBODIA
+855.(0)53.952.424 / +855.(0)12.890.360
www.phareps.org
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