A FUTURISTIC FABLE BLENDING DOCUMENTARY-STYLE ELEMENTS WITH FANTASY
Set against the backdrop of a polar landscape, Mirages — Les âmes boréales plunges viewers into the heart of the icy expanses of the far North. The piece casts us adrift towards lands both real and fantastical, firing our imaginations yet asking questions.
This contemporary tale plays on illusion and uses a variety of resources – artistic, choreographic, acoustic and sensory – to thrill and fascinate us. Sound and video play an important part in the piece, and when associated with movement, reveal the dream-like, magical quality of this landscape, transfiguring the glacial wilderness that conditions the mind and transforms the body.
Mark-making and fusion are key, and the piece is interested in the ability nature has to affect/infect human beings, so as to examine, by reflection, the mark they leave on earth.

Christian and François Ben Aïm studied dance, physical theatre and circus skills before setting out to develop their performing careers independently in Canada and France.

They began collaborating in 1997 when they co-created their first piece, and went on to form their own company, CFB 451, in 1999. To date they have choreographed some twenty pieces together.

Their first piece, A l’abri du regard des hommes, avant d’aller mourir ailleurs, represents a cornerstone in their production. It is a hybrid piece in which dancers and actors feed off each other’s raw physical energy. La Frontera and Ne vous fiez pas au titre, il peut encore changer followed in the same vein, showcasing a style of dance that blends subtle humour with elements of surprise. In 2004 and 2006 they worked on a diptych inspired by the work of playwright Bernard-Marie Koltès, Carcasses, un œil pour deux and En plein cœur. The set designs and original musical scores of both pieces resonate with the texts. 

Music has since played an increasingly significant role in their creations. Many of their choreographies are performed to original musical compositions (You're a bird, now!, Amor Fati Fati Amor, Louves, Résistance au droit, L'ogresse des archives et son chien, La forêt ébouriffée). In You're a bird, now! and L'ogresse des archives et son chien, the musicians and/or singer are part of the stage set and perform their music live.

The score for La légèreté des tempêtes (2014) was composed before the choreography was written, a first for the company. This allowed composer Jean-Baptiste Sabiani a great deal of creative freedom to interpret the theme of the piece. The music is played on stage by three cellists and a singer-percussionist.

Obsessed with the expression of bodies in motion, Tommy has been  devoting himself to direction since 2007. He was a professional dancer  for 18 years (Béjart Ballet Lausanne, Ballet Preljocaj, ...).