A horse coming to Klaipeda from France and a horse on stage appears on stage

The performance of L. de Sagazan was born from a long and consistent study, a director’s conversation with many people, and it focuses on sometimes automatically acting in the fast -paced courts in France. The topic of her choice received a lot of resonance, so she continued to develop her director after the creation of Leviathan. One of the most impressive elements of the performance is the Oasis horse that appears in it. According to Fabienne Darge, a « Leviathan » publication about Leviathan, it is « wonderful, with freedom, power and possibly a synonymous manifestation. » The horse was integrated into the performance by his master Thomas Chaussebourg, and he accompanies Oasis and Lithuania. T. Chaussebourg himself is a longtime dancer of contemporary dance, choreographer, who started his first dance performances with horses almost fifteen years ago. He explores the new possibilities of motion and motion in non -conventional spaces. Before coming to Klaipėda, T. Chaussebourg shared the OASIS show in Leviatan.

– Thomas, to start, how did you come to the incorporation of horses into the creative process, why did it seem appropriate for you?

– I am a dancer myself, and horse language is body language, they communicate with space just as we do by dancing. It is also extremely interesting – the fact that it is possible to dance with the horse. Of course, in the case of Lorraine de Sagazan, other things work – we are talking about theater and the reason for the presence of a horse in the performance is different.

-In your creative biography, a number of spectacular dance-move duo with a horse, sometimes collaborating with other artists, but Leviathan is a crowd-closed space, actors, light, music, decorations, etc. t. – Were you a big challenge with Oasi to join this performance?

– quite right, it’s a different state than in my dance projects. First of all, it was important to choose a horse with the right features so that it can adapt and act in theater conditions – with stage lights, in a closed space, music, and actors unfamiliar to it. Oasis was best suited for this task, so I started working with him and the actors I had to teach to interact with the horse.

Photo by F. Caussebourg

– What did it look like? What does the horse’s involvement in the action means, what conditions were necessary, to make it possible and to make the Oasis feel good?

– Oasis on stage is absolutely free. Such, by the way, was L. de Sagazan’s request. It was a slow process like writing or drawing. Peculiar choreography: First of all, I taught Oasis together with Jeanne Favre and Khallaf Barah, then how to access the judge and how to leave. If you can imagine, it was not easy, because on the one hand it must be completely free and on the other, I am not on stage myself. I had to prepare OASI during rehearsals to be not together. I worked step by step with each element, for example, gradually we were used to the sound and its level, the video, the smoke scene and so on. t.

– Can you tell you a little about OASA? What is his life story, what is his way?

– He is a truly extraordinary horse with his kindness, calm temperament. I have more horses, but they would not be able to do what he is capable of. I already mentioned it, I chose it specifically for this project. Before that, he lived in Portugal, was not riddled and was five, now he is seven, meaning he is still young.

– When you see it on the Leviathan scene – what do you think brings it to it, what does the audience give?

– Of course, his performance on stage is an event for viewers. But more importantly, the feeling is that humanity manifests itself in a very paradoxical way, and it is during the performance that it seems to be lost. And he also tells the horse as a mediator.

– After the announcement of Leviathan’s arrival in Klaipeda, there was a great deal of interest, some of it was Oasis – some of it was amazing, others take care of his well -being and considering that the theater is not a place for the horse. How would you react to such comments?

– This is a very good question. Of course, Oasis likes to be in the meadow along with his other friends on horses. All my horses live in a huge green space, and they are all kept freely, and are brought into stables only in bad weather (if it rains, heavy winds) at night.

Before cars and tractors emerged, horses were indispensable for human life satellites, from travel to agricultural work. It is a communion that has lasted almost one and a half thousand years. I respect her and I am very vigilant that my horses should have the best possible conditions.

Leviathan. / Photo by S. Gosselin

– The trip to Lithuania is long, what were the requirements for it to be comfortable?

– Veterinary requirements for horse trips in Europe are extremely strict. Transport must be comfortable, the temperature must be comfortable, and many stops must also be made. As a result, the OASIS trip to Lithuania will take up to five days. And before returning to France, he will wake up for a few days in your country. This will allow me to spend some time in Lithuania.

– The last question, what did you personally discover through creative work with horses – about movement, their presence, even the dialogue between man and horse?

– How to answer in a few words! I grew up among the horses, later I started dancing with them – they are like our mirror, they feel deeply every thing, but we cannot forget that we are different. We belong to different species – they are herbivores and we are predators, this is a huge difference.

Working with horses, being with them helps me feel an authentic relationship with life itself, and it is important especially when we live in time, when human civilization loses that connection due to our destructive behavior.

Leviathan (France) will be displayed on June 7th. Klaipeda Cultural Center “Fishermen’s Palace”.

Following this performance, June 12, the last performance of the West Nastle (Poland) will be featured at the Klaipėda Drama Theater, and this performance is based on the international Polish Presidency of the European Union Culture program created by Adam Mickiewicz and coordinated by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.

Partner – Polish Institute in Vilnius.

The program more widely and tickets www.theatrium.lt;