Monstres de circonstances

What makes a monster a monster? Xavier Le Roy's discursive performance sets out to examine what it means to become a monster in the eyes of others. For this performance-based lecture, similar to his solo show Produit de circonstances (1999), the choreographer combines gestural quotations with the reading of a text. The lecture format is already disrupted, as the audience is invited to sit facing the choreographer, surrounded by chairs piled up haphazardly. The norm lies elsewhere. His discourse explores the various correlations between fears and monsters. If the figure of the monster is the product of our fears, then must we seek out a monster behind the existence of each fear? For the choreographer, identifying one's own fears allows one to identify monsters and define what is acceptable or desirable in a society. If the monster is what we do not want to see, then what do we see in the continuous transformations proposed by Xavier Le Roy's body?

Xavier Le Roy

After studying molecular biology at the University of Montpellier, Xavier Le Roy has been working as an artist since 1991. His early solo works opened up new perspectives in the field of dance by challenging the conventions of performance: *Self Unfinished* (1998), Produit de Circonstances (1999), Giszelle (2001), Le Sacre du Printemps (2007). Part of his research takes the form of works created specifically for exhibition spaces. Since 2018, he has been a professor at the Institute for Applied Theater Studies in Giessen (Germany).