Photo : ®marc_coudrais
"Gustavia" by Mathilde Monnier & La Ribot
Expect pure comedic tension as two titans of contemporary dance embrace the absurd to deliver a fiercely witty critique of their own art form. Draped in black and shifting between slapstick and sudden, sharp insights, this performance feels more relevant than ever. Treat yourself to a masterclass in physical humor and unbridled female freedom.
Chaillot - Théâtre national de la Danse (Paris 16th)
About
From March 17 to March 20, 2027, Chaillot – Théâtre national de la Danse presents Gustavia, a collaborative performance by Mathilde Monnier and La Ribot. Dressed in black leotards, the two choreographers engage in a burlesque routine that blends dance and theatrical elements to explore artistic life and contemporary social issues with wit and irony. This 1-hour show offers a humorous yet poignant look at two women navigating the world, challenging norms through physical movement and dialogue. Tickets for this event are available for prices ranging from 17 to 50 euros. Early reservation is recommended for this unique cultural experience in the 16th arrondissement.
Amidst a profusion of black velvet, from the edges of the stage to the floor, La Ribot and Mathilde Monnier – in leotards and shoes, also black – engage in a burlesque act where energy expenditure, repetition, and accident create an irresistible comic tension – somewhere between a striptease of the knees and a verbal logorrhea. With its techniques of reversal, striking, and dodging, classic burlesque is the art of transforming incompetence into competence. This is precisely the path followed by Gustavia, the fake stage name of a woman attempting to speak about grand subjects that exceed her and about her profession as an artist. With Gustavia, the two choreographers evoke both contemporary art and their way of working, throughout a piece that the years have charged with new meaning. When they created it in 2008 at the Montpellier Danse festival, La Ribot and Mathilde Monnier already knew each other very well and used it to take stock of their lives and their respective paths, thus continuing a conversation started fifteen years earlier. Their choreographic practices share, among other things, the borrowing of their vocabulary from other aesthetics, starting with theater. They are reactivating the piece today in the light of the feminist movements (like #MeToo) that have emerged since. With this female plea, they offer a new interpretation that is even darker, funnier, and more hard-hitting, of two free women facing the world and its violences with humor and poetry.
Vincent Théval
Duration: 1h
Category:
- Dance
- Theater
Our take on this event
Mathilde Monnier and La Ribot return to the stage with Gustavia, a performance that originated in 2008 and remains highly relevant today. Set against a backdrop of black velvet, the duo utilizes the techniques of classic burlesque—such as tumbling and sharp movements—to transform perceived incompetence into a powerful artistic statement. By layering new interpretations informed by current feminist movements, they create a sharp, dark, and comedic dialogue about their respective careers and the challenges faced by women in the arts.
Performances run from Wednesday, March 17, to Saturday, March 20, 2027. Showtimes are scheduled for 19:30 on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, with an afternoon performance on Saturday at 15:00. The duration of the piece is 1 hour. Ticket prices range from 17 to 50 euros. The venue is located at 1, place du Trocadéro et du 11 novembre, 75016 Paris.
