The battle of the two dancers is that between soul and body, fate and freedom, passion and principle, mortality and lust for life (Charlotte De Somviele, Etcetera, nov. 2013)

Synopsis of a Battle is the synopsis of an opera, a choreographed tragedy composed out of dance, light, music, poetry and mythology. In his latest creation the French choreographer Étienne Guilloteau links music, words and dance to form a whole. Once again Guilloteau works together with the pianist Alain Franco. Two dancers, Claire Croizé and Guilloteau himself, occupy the space. Two is the minimum number of people to establish a relationship, and two is the maximum before it forms a group. They enter into a dialogue and move through space, words and music both together and separately. Their relationship acquires different forms and evokes different stories without actually becoming one. Nor do the words tell a concrete story, but reveal a trail that leaves room for the imagination. It is not the story but the energy of the text that is important. All these elements make Synopsis of a Battle into the synopsis of an opera and a new step in Guilloteau’s work as a whole. A performance that talks about battle, dialogue and… love…