ENEMY (A Peace Conference)

Mélodie Lasselin and Simon Capelle (collective ZONE -poème-) respond to the theatre of warfare with an anatomical theatre that attempts to overturn the staggering war imagery machine. Nourished by extensive fieldwork in the Balkans, "ENEMY (A Peace Conference)", through the performance of the dance duo (Mélodie Lasselin and Léa Pérat), suggests a way in which bodies find a way to face the traumas of conflict through breath and voice. The concept emerges from the escalation of war conflicts on the European continent due to the continuous collapse of peace in the world, which needs calm and care more than ever.  

For “ENEMY (A Peace Conference)” the starting point was the Balkan region, but Lasselin and Capelle wanted to produce a dance performance that was simple in production and easily mobile, accessible to everyone, without language or other restrictions.   Consistent with their practice rooted in documentary theater and dance, in the process of creation of the performance, the authors decided to get involved in the communities in which they were invited to work. With the aim of finding a path that would lead them to address the impact of the conflict, they decided to travel to the Balkan countries to research post-conflict situations.  

They met with actors dealing with the relations of former enemies. They were cultural workers, national theaters, as well as independent artists, political organizations and civil society organizations. In this process, the authors highlight meetings with former soldiers who participated in the conflicts in the former Yugoslavia.  

They documented all meetings with texts, recordings and photographs. Most of the artistic materials for the performance were created with the communities during the residencies. They also chose to travel by local and regional transport, and this rooted approach provided them not only with materials for performance, but also with personal experience of the place where war happened thirty years ago.   So far, the show has been presented in France, Sardinia, Italia, Cyprus, Latvia, Montenegro, Armenia, Greece, Kosovo, Romania. It was awarded the Special Jury’s Prize at the 38th FIAT Festival in Montenegro.  

Since 2016 Simon Capelle and Mélodie Lasselin are both directors, authors, choreographers, and performers of the ZONE -poème- company based in Lille. “Oracle” is the first piece of the company, created in 2018 then revived in 2021 for the festival Le Grand Bain in Roubaix. “BARBARE (European Museum of Translation)”, an ensemble of 28 performances, was presented at le Vivat, at Latitudes Contemporaines Festival, at L’Oiseau-Mouche, as well as in-situ in the Hauts-de-France region. In 2021, they were both associated artists to L’Oiseau- Mouche, a company for actors with special needs. In 2022, “BARBARE (odyssées)” is created during the festival Cabaret de curiosités at le phénix, scène nationale de Valenciennes, directed by Romaric Daurier, who invited them to be members of the pôle européen de création. Inside their company, they created the Performing Arts Research Center, a box of tools to share, teach and create with non-professionals and communities.    

Mélodie Lasselin began dancing at the age of 5 and trained at the Ballet du Nord School, the Rudra-Béjart School, and the Jeune Ballet International de Cannes. She then worked in Germany where she created her first choreographies. From 2007, she has been a freelance performer and choreographer in Switzerland, Germany, Spain, Mexico, Cuba, Belgium, and France. She obtained her state diploma, has been engaged in numerous companies, and regularly participates in workshops. She has worked with Irène Kalbusch, Karima Mansour, Germaine Acogny, Olivier Dubois, Pascal Rambert, Jan Lauwers, Jean-Michel Rabeux, Lisbeth Gruwez, Annabelle Chambon and Cédric Charron, and Nacera Belaza. She leads many workshops open to all. Her choreographic research focuses on a sensitive relationship to reality and the engagement of a physical body attuned to the world.

Simon Capelle is an author, performer, and director. He has been involved in dance and music since his early youth. He holds a Master’s degree in Theatre Studies and a Master’s degree in Contemporary Literature. He trained for several years at the Biennale College Teatro in Venice and worked with Wajdi Mouawad, Pascal Rambert, Anne Bogart, Mark Ravenhill, and Anna-Sophie Mahler. His plays are published by Editions La Fontaine and in the journal FRICTIONS. He has been a member of the European Creation Hub at Le Phénix National Stage in Valenciennes since 2022 and was awarded the same year the European program Stronger Peripheries. He is invited in 2024 to create and publish in partnership with L’Onde Théâtrale and also gives workshops at La Verrière Theatre. He advocates for a contemporary, demanding, poetic theatre that is accessible to all audiences.

Léa Pérat is a dancer and choreographer. She trained at the school of Ballet du Nord, at the CNSMD in Lyon and then at The Place (London). She dances for contemporary companies (CCN Roubaix C.Carlson, Cie 1er Mars, Cie Ouragane, Humanum Co, Myriam Naisy L'Hélice) and baroque companies (Cie l'Eventail, Les Cavatines). She also dances in operas directed by Roméo Castellucci, Stefano Poda, Laura Scozzi, Daniel Mesguish, Pierre Rigal, and for more performative events (Ragnar Kjartansson - Palais de Tokyo). Holder of the State Diploma of contemporary dance teacher . She is particularly sensitive to collaborations with musicians, in situ projects and improvisation. In May 2019, she joined ZONE-poème- for the performance Sanctuaire at the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Lille.

ENEMY (A Peace Conference)47 photos