ARCHIVES 2018 / BEN & LUC

Mickaël Phelippeau's double portraits, which he conceives as encounters between two dancers, occupy a unique position in French modern dance. For this creation, the complexity of the relationship between Burkinabé dancers Ben Salaah Cisse and Luc Sanou serves as the starting point, between brotherhood and duality, sensuality and confrontation. Mickaël Phelippeau's choreographic writing faces new challenges with those two men: to tell of artistic journeys from a continent at once so close and so far, from the “land of the honest men,” between traditional African dance and modern dance.

Mickaël Phelippeau
After studying fine arts and dance, Mickaël Phelippeau worked with many choreographers. Working with several different institutions, he has created both pieces he calls “double portraits,” which focus on the meeting of two dancers and bear the names of his companions on the stage—Jean-Yves, Yves C., Ethan, Lola, Anastasia, etc.—and group portraits, such as Chorus or Footballeuses.