OLA KALA Synopsis

ANNEX 1 OLA KALA Synopsis

Ola Kala (“All’s Well” in Greek) is an aerial trapeze spectacle of bewitching virtuosity, blending acrobatic and technical feats in an atmosphere of surreal elegance. The performance is an in-depth research into pure aestheticism and movement in the air.

Staged 12 metres above ground, musicians share the same aerial space with trapeze artists flying and falling in perfect harmony. The body replaces speech and image follows image within a giant spherical bubble. The aerial ballet unfolds in an intimate arena with the audience seated beneath in specially constructed deck chairs. The physicality and grace of the performers is accompanied by hypnotic live music and lighting design which creates an awe inspiring experience for all.

While preserving the most important feature – the magic and art of trapeze which are distinctive to the company – Les Arts Sauts’ main idea is the quest for void, for height and weightlessness. It is around the discipline of trapeze that other artistic elements are added, supplementing and enriching it. The shows become original compositions, choreographies in which the body can develop its quest, without showmanship. ANNEX 2 OLA KALA Profile of Les Arts Sauts

Les Arts Sauts was born in 1993 over a few drinks between friends. The original idea was to take a trapeze number out of the Big Top and turn it into a fully-fledged art. Fascinated by trapeze and obsessed with the same yearning – flying as a way of life – they created the first Arts Sauts (Untitled!) after five months of intense work.

An outdoor show was the result in June 1993 in which 11 flying mad men darted into space with an indescribable spontaneity. All rocked by the strange sounds of a cello and a lyric voice. Well received in France, the performance was extremely successful abroad, thanks to the support of the AFAA (Ministry of Foreign Affairs). The first show performed over 400 times and mostly abroad.

Les Arts Sauts is more than just a company. From the very beginning, they have defined themselves as a collective where everyone has a place, a space for suggesting ideas, without hierarchy or personal power, which operates mostly on the dynamic of a project blending pleasure and professional rigour. The wages are equal for all members of the company; each is a strong link, indispensable to this common story.

In 1998, Les Arts Sauts decided to go even further and to create a new spectacle which, after their open-air show, reinvented the Big Top. They worked with an architect who designed a 20 metres inflatable bubble. This resulted in their second show, Kayassine, which was performed 544 times.

Ola Kala is the company’s third creation born out of lots of love, a new dream and a new challenge: crosswise trapeze. ANNEX 3 OLA KALA Production Credits

Trapezists Emma Assaud Benoît Belleville Gilles Charles-Messance Mélissa Colello Jérémy Cordelle Stéphane Drouard Germain Guillemot André Madrignac Frank Michel Renald Musacchia Guillaume Quillard Stéphane Ricordel Jean-François Rogemont Sara Sandqvist Nehmatallah Skaf Jean-Antoine Veran

Musicians Benoît Fleurey (cello, electric guitar) Frédéric Fleischer (musical programming) Mathieu Monneret (cello, oud) Natasha Rumiz (violin, viola, electric guitar, electric bass) Pascale Valenta (singer)

Lights design and engineering Patrick Cathala

Lights technique / Video operation Jean-Luc Delove

Video creation Dominique Margot

2D Composition Karim Patwa

Sound Olivier Horn

Sound engineering Tom Rampazzi

Technical engineering Jan Naets

Aerial engineering Andy Mitchell

Aerial construction Daniel Doumergue Costumes design Pauline Collin, assisted by Odile Lafforgue

Inflatable volume Nicolas Pauli Patrick Clody

Conception and realisation of the Patrick Clody (Side-Up Concept) metallic structure

Administration Laurence de Magalhaes Sèverine Duroux Caroline Gravel

Teacher Isabelle Solé

Osteopath Pierric Morel

Photographer Philippe Cibille

Production Adam Productions Hellas / Megafon Live Activities (Greece) Barcelona 2004, Forum universal de las culturas (Spain) Bonlieu, Scène Nationale d’Annecy (France) Centre Culturel Agora, Scène Conventionnée (France) Espace Malraux, Scène Nationale (France) Parc de La Villette (France) La Ferme du Buisson, Scène Nationale de Marne la Vallée (France) Le Cargo, Maison de la Culture de Grenoble (France) Le Carré Magique, Scène conventionnée (France) Lille 2004 European capital for culture and le Festival du Prato (France) Maison de la Danse (France) Maison de la Culture de Bourges (France) Théâtre des Célestins (France) Théâtre du Gymnase (France) Théâtre Vidy-Lausanne E.T.E. (Switzerland)

Company conventionalized by Ville de Paris

Sponsored by Ministry of Culture (DMDTS) Ministry of Foreign Affairs (AFAA)

With the support of the Regional Council of Ile de France