Press Release: The sky's the limit for performers of Corps extrêmes, where strength is tested on climbing walls and highlines above the stage

[Jan McNulty]

Chaillot –Théâtre national de la Danse l Rachid Ouramdane  Corps extrêmes  Tuesday 23 & Wednesday 24 May  Tickets: £15-£55   Ticket Office: 020 7863 8000 or www.sadlerswells.com  Corps extrêmes by Pascale Cholette

Choreographer and Director of Chaillot – Théâtre national de la Danse Rachid Ouramdane presents Corps extrêmes at Sadler’s Wells Theatre on Tuesday 23 & Wednesday 24 May.  The show is an exploration of flight and freedom on a set where the mountains meet the stage. Documentary footage of extraordinary feats of daring in natural landscapes is projected onto a large on-stage climbing wall, which athletes and acrobats progress across while also testing their nerves on a tightrope suspended high above.    Two trailblazing figures in extreme sports – French highliner Nathan Paulin and Swiss rock-climber Nina Caprez – leave their natural playgrounds to share the stage with eight acrobats, including flyer Airelle Caen.     Paulin is the World Record holder for the longest highline: a 2,200-meter-long (nearly 1.4-mile) walk at Mont-Saint-Michel, a UNESCO world heritage site in France. Paulin has also notably walked mid-air between the Eiffel Tower and Chaillot – Théâtre national de la Danse for Les Traceurs, another project spearheaded by Ouramdane.    In Corps extrêmes, the ensemble comes together in an aerial dance to test the boundaries of trust within the group while pushing their own physical and emotional strengths. The production, which alludes to the myth of Icarus and Daedalus and the insatiable quest to escape gravity, is a reflection on freedom, frailty, risk and fear.    Jean-Baptiste Julien's score merges with voice-overs from the athletes and provides a soundtrack to the performers as they push themselves to the limits. Choreographer Rachid Ouramdane continues his work with Compagnie XY following Mobius in 2019, this time to expand on his desire to be “really focused on the fascination of the wish to take-off, to drift, a state of weightlessness, a suspension...”   Journalists please note: Corps Extrêmes is in Caen and Bourges (France) ahead of its UK premiere at Sadler’s Wells  With the support of Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels   Notes to editors  Show dates: Tuesday 23 May & Wednesday 24 May  Tickets: £15-£55    Ticket Office: 020 7863 8000 or www.sadlerswells.com   About Chaillot –Théâtre national de la Danse  Since the Théâtre National Populaire was founded by Firmin Gémier in 1920, Chaillot has welcomed artists and audiences in a venue shaped by its architectural, historical and artistic dimensions, a theatre that serves the wide diversity of creators and audiences. In 2000, Chaillot expanded its programming to include choreographic art and became, in 2008, the first National Theatre “leading a project predominantly built around and from dance.” In 2016, it was named Chaillot-Théâtre national de la Danse.    In addition to hosting French and foreign companies throughout the season, Chaillot-Théâtre national de la Danse produces shows created and premiered at the theatre, and then tours them around the world. The shows by our associate artists and these of our Chairman & Artistic Director Rachid Ouramdane perform around the world for more than 100 performances a year. Chaillot travels to major international stages as well as across France’s regions with the support of accredited institutions to reach out to the largest number of audience members.    About Rachid Ouramdane l choreography   At the age of twelve, Rachid Ouramdane discovered dance through hip-hop. He also took intensive courses in classical and modern dance. In the early 1990s, he dropped out of his studies in biology to devote himself fulltime to dance and joined the Centre national de danse contemporaine in Angers. As a performer and choreographer, he has worked with Meg Stuart, Odile Duboc, Hervé Robbe, Alain Buffard, Christian Rizzo, Julie Nioche and Emmanuelle Huynh. Rachid Ouramdane's creations are often marked by the seal of testimony and intimate experience (refugee children, victims of torture or natural disasters, amateur athletes, etc.) from which he weaves a structured choreography. Rachid Ouramdane collaborates with circus artists (Compagnie XY), authors (Pascal Rambert, Sonia Chiambretto), visual artists (Nicolas Floch' and Mehdi Meddaci), and musicians (Jean-Baptiste Julien and Alexandre Meyer) for his own creations as well as for commissioned works and workshops. With an ambitious project based on diversity and hospitality, he has been director of Chaillot - Théâtre national de la Danse in Paris since April 2021.    About Sadler’s Wells    Sadler's Wells is a world-leading dance organisation. We strive to make and share dance that inspires us all. Our acclaimed year-round programme spans dance of every kind, from contemporary to flamenco, Bollywood to ballet, salsa to street dance and tango to tap.      We commission, produce and present more dance than any other organisation in the world. Since 2005, we have helped to bring close to 200 new dance works to the stage, embracing both the popular and the unknown.      Each year, over half a million people visit our three London theatres - Sadler’s Wells Theatre, Lilian Baylis Studio and Peacock Theatre. Millions more attend our touring productions nationally and internationally or explore our digital platforms, including Sadler’s Wells Digital Stage.     In 2023 we’re opening a fourth London venue in Stratford’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Sadler’s Wells East will house a 550-seat mid-scale theatre, as well as facilities for the Choreographic School and Hip Hop Theatre Academy.       Supporting artists is at the heart of our work. We have associate artists and companies, which nurture some of the most exciting talent working in dance today. We host the National Youth Dance Company, which draws together some of the brightest young dancers from across the country.   Sadler’s Wells Breakin' Convention runs professional development programmes to champion and develop the world’s best hip hop artists, as well as producing, programming and touring groundbreaking hip hop performances.       Around 30,000 people take part in our learning and engagement programmes every year. We support schools local to our theatres in Islington and Stratford, designing experiences for children and young people to watch, explore and critically engage with the arts. We also run Company of Elders, a resident performance company of dancers aged over 60 who rehearse with renowned artists to make new work for public performances locally, nationally and internationally. Young people aged 16 - 30 can access £10 tickets to our shows through Barclays Dance Pass.    Sadler’s Wells is an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation.www.sadlerswells.com      Stay up to date with everything Sadler’s Wells on social media    Facebook: @SadlersWells    Twitter: @Sadlers_Wells    Instagram: @sadlers_wells    YouTube: Sadler’s Wells Theatre