La BaZooKa

BaZooKa was founded in 2002 in Le Havre, following a chance meeting between Sarah Crépin and Étienne Cuppens.

Together, the two artists combine their imaginations to create choreographic projects: performances and visual installations. Their shared fascination with optical illusions leads them to devise stage devices that redefine the spectator’s position, engaging their gaze in an active and playful way.

Drawing on their childhood memories (whether real or imagined), they invent characters that resonate with the collective unconscious and to which dance lends multiple dimensions. This freedom to offer different interpretations of meaning is a fundamental principle upheld by the company, which places its trust in the sensitivity and capacity for abstraction of every audience member, adult and child alike. Since 2008 and the success of Monstres (over 170 performances in France and abroad), La BaZooKa has been carefully producing challenging work for young audiences, attentive to the dialogue between the child and the accompanying adult. At the same time, the company has continued to explore the theme of freedom within the group through Le Ka and Madison (2010), followed by Stravinsky Motel (2014), whilst examining desire and femininity in Monstres Indiens and Queen Kong (2012).

Over the years, the company has constantly broadened its artistic horizons: Pillowgraphies and Le Bal Fantastik explore popular culture and cinema; Le Temple aux 5000 Vœux, a water-based installation created to mark the 500th anniversary of the city of Le Havre, attracted nearly 25,000 visitors in 2017; Kayak, commissioned by the Ballet de Lorraine, was premiered in 2018 for nine dancers. More recently, the company has focused on the themes of ritual and memory with Solo OO, Crèche Vivante, Nos Rituels and Attendez-Moi ! (2020–2022).