Extra Life Gisèle Vienne

"Gisèle Vienne creates works of art of light, mist and bodies that burst apart in slow motion (...) she conjures up a whole universe of feelings that can be seen, heard and felt on stage in a crushingly impressive way."

Germany's leading culture website Nachtkritik was highly impressed by the premiere of Extra Life  in August 2023 at the Ruhrtriennale. The performance by French-Austrian choreographer Gisèle Vienne was co-created and will be performed by, among others, famous French actress Adèle Haenel, winner of two Césars and figurehead of the #MeToo movement in France. After its successful world premiere at the Ruhrtriennale, NTGent will have the honour of being the next venue for Extra Life.

"Every movement of Vienne is meticulously choreographed, every every step planned, every look controlled, and precisely coordinated with the electronic music of composer Caterina Barbieri," writes Nachtkritik.

Central to the performance, with minimal text and maximum impact, is the close relationship between a sister and a brother. This was brutally severed by a tragedy 20 years earlier. The system that caused this traumatic experience has been dismantled; now that they are open to their feelings and capable of analysis again, they can construct another architecture, another system, a new possible field of action.