Corps tendres • Lucie Yerlès

How do we perceive the world through our skin? Lucie Yerlès and her team present a rich sensory experience that blends circus, theatre and dance. As a circus artist, Lucie Yerlès became aware of a disconnect between her own experience of touch – daily, technical – and that which prevails in our Western societies, where physical contact remains largely confined to the private sphere. What does it mean to touch or be touched? Whether on a circus ring or a stage, it is above all a necessity: acrobatic lifts, hand-to-hand feats and parades require keen listening skills and a sense of physical responsibility. This physical connection is as much a tool as it is a risk. Corps tendres draws on this contrast: four circus artists and a musician present an immersive performance set in a gentle, adaptable landscape. The project emerged from preliminary research conducted with amateurs during workshops. It is therefore not merely a matter of admiring the artists’ virtuosity, but of shifting our perspective on physical closeness to reveal its unsettling complexity. Coproduction Théâtre National Wallonie-Bruxelles