Polymorphous performance born of the time the choreographer, artist and videographer spent in cultural immersion in a skilled nursing facility. A cubical structure enclosed by the blades of its shutters, that suddenly opens and transforms into a hallway, a room, or a medical facility. Sylvain Groud progresses through this space, surrounded by moving images : silhouette of the dancer himself, the ballet of nurses, the faces of the elderly. In this choral solo, Sylvain Groud is patient, carer, observer, breath of freedom all in one. Sensitive and touching, this choreographic object is both the sharing of an intimate experience and a questioning around our relationship to death. Speaking to us of the place where lives come to an end, he creates gentleness.

A graduate of the CNSMD in Paris, Sylvain Groud began his career working with Gigi Caciuleanu and then Angelin Preljocaj. Winner of the Concours International de Paris with his first choreography, he has continued his creative work around two main axes: site-specific pieces and the relationship between music and dance. With his company MAD, he created over 30 pieces between 1994 and 2018.

That same year, he was appointed director of Ballet du Nord, CCN Roubaix Hauts-de-France, and created the participatory show Let's Move! and the duet Dans mes bras. In 2019, he created Métamorphose and Adolescent, his first collaboration with Françoise Pétrovitch.

In 2020, in response to the health crisis, he created the play 4m² at the Grand Bleu in Lille. It was subsequently presented in theatres with the Scène Nationale label and at dance festivals, as well as in non-dedicated venues such as schools, nursing homes and shops.

Since 2020, he has been working regularly with video artist Léonard Barbier-Hourdin to create choreographic films. Rooted in the Hauts-de-France region, most of these projects involve local people: Symbiose, réveil sur le terril (with 80 amateurs), Huis Clos (carte blanche offered by the Louvre-Lens museum), Bouge ton Bassin (for the 10th anniversary of the inclusion of the mining basin in UNESCO's World Heritage list), and more.

In autumn 2021, he will create two choreographic duets: L'autre and Lorsque l'enfant était enfant. His next creation, Des chimères dans la tête, is scheduled for autumn 2023.

Source and more information: https://www.balletdunord.fr/