The Wheel Deal

For French duo Philippe Priasso and Dominique Boivin,an earth excavator forms their dance stage.

Using the excavator as a stage for a dance performance might sound odd to most,but not to French artistes Philippe Priasso and Dominique Boivin. The duo,who go by the name Beau Geste,enthralled the Pune audience when they performed at the Film and Television Institute of India on Thursday. Titled Transports Exceptionnels the act had Priasso perform death-defying acrobatic dance on the excavator,as the choreographer,Boivin,looked on.

We have been doing this since 2005, said Priasso,who has participated in 500 shows in 42 countries. The India tour has them performing in Delhi,Hyderabad,Bengaluru,Chennai,Pune and Chandigarh. What is unique about the art form is that the machine that we use is different each time. It becomes a challenge and a novel experience for us as well as the audience, added Priasso.

While the duo has been associated with dance for more than three decades,the idea of using an excavator came in 2004,when they were invited to east France for a performance. We needed an excavator to level the surface of the garden where we were performing. As the machine fixed the lawn,Dominique was struck by the unique idea of using it in a performance, said Priasso. Back in their studio in western France,they brought an excavator and started working on the new concept. A performance was recorded and feedback was sought from friends,producers and artistes. The response was very encouraging. Everyone thought it was unique,beautiful,great and whacky at the same time. We created the final duet in 2005 and have been performing ever since, added Priasso.

When asked about their most memorable performance,Priasso instantly thinks of the ones outside a cathedral and the Chambord Castle in France. At the cathedral,as the fork lift elevated me to the statues of Virgin Mary and the apostles and saints,I felt as though we had managed to merge God,his creations,man and machine,into one,” he states,adding,”On the other hand,Chambord Castle was built after Da Vinci died. His complex artistic blueprints are evident in the structure and while performing there we felt that were being transported back to his time.”

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