(LA)HORDE

Good evening everyone,

Rarely has a ballet company so fully embodied its time. Under the impetus of (LA)HORDE, Ballet national de Marseille is undergoing a profound reinvention. Three young creators—Marine Brutti, Jonathan Debrouwer, and Arthur Harel—bring forward a clear vision and a fearless voice, unafraid to challenge conventions and usher ballet firmly into the 21st century.

With their work Age of Content, they plunge us into the heart of digital chaos: a stream of images, gestures, and emotions where our identities dissolve, mutate, and are constantly reimagined. Eighteen performers electrify the stage in a fresco that is as physically demanding as it is visually striking, weaving together real bodies, avatars, hybrid realities, and the impulses and vulnerabilities of our time.

Beyond aesthetics, they are redefining our relationship to dance itself—making it more direct, more grounded, and more accessible to new audiences sometimes distant from dance venues. Wherever they go, they spark rare enthusiasm and actively contribute to rejuvenating the choreographic landscape.

We are delighted to share this powerful, urgent, and unmistakably contemporary work with you.

We wish you a wonderful performance!

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Territorial Acknowledgement

Danse Danse acknowledges that we are gathered on the traditional and unceded territory of the Kanien’keha:ka Nation. We honour the continued presence of Indigenous peoples on the Tiohtiá:ke (Montreal) territory, which has long served as a meeting place for exchanges between nations. With respect for the links to the past, present and future, we thank the Indigenous peoples for reminding us of the importance of living in harmony with ourselves, with each other and with nature, and we are grateful for the opportunity to present works of living art at Tiohtiá:ke.

Age of Content explores the entanglement of our real and virtual lives, and questions the transformations of our identities, our social interactions, and our desires in the age of content and its overwhelming abundance. The dance draws from the expression of bodies within digital environments, from the uncanny familiarity of video-game avatars to the viral gestures of TikTok choreographic challenges. On stage, these movements intertwine with other influences drawn from jazz dance and musical theatre, unfolding in a sequence reminiscent of doomscrolling.

(LA)HORDE — Marine Brutti, Jonathan Debrouwer, Arthur Harel

Concept, direction (LA)HORDE — Marine Brutti, Jonathan Debrouwer, Arthur Harel.

Choreography (LA)HORDE in collaboration with the dancers and répétiteurs of Ballet national de Marseille.

Performed by the dancers of Ballet national de Marseille Nina Auerbach, Isaïa Badaoui, Alida Bergakker, Arno Brys, Isla Clarke, Pierpaolo Cosentino, Titouan Crozier, João De Castro Franca, Nathan Gombert, Jonatan Myhre Jørgensen, Yoshiko Kinoshita, Dana Pajarillaga, Kevin Pajarillaga, Aya Sato, Gabriella Sibekos, Eden Solomon, Elena Valls Garcia, Luca Völkel, Layne Paradis Willis, Lung Ssu Yen.

Set design Julien Peissel.

Music Pierre Avia, Gabber Eleganza, Philip Glass.

Front of house sound Jonathan Cesaroni.

Lighting design Eric Wurtz.

Costumes Salomé Poloudenny.

Hair design Charlie Le Mindu.

Backdrop visual Frederik Heyman.

Production Ballet national de Marseille.

Co‑production MC2 Maison de la Culture de Grenoble, scène nationale; Biennale de la danse de Lyon 2023; International Summerfestival Kampnagel, Hamburg; Théâtre de la Ville‑Paris; Théâtre du Châtelet; Créteil‑Maison des arts, scène nationale; Maison de la culture, scène nationale d’Amiens; La Comédie, scène nationale de Clermont‑Ferrand; L’Équinoxe, scène nationale de Châteauroux; Charleroi Danse, choreographic centre of Wallonia, in partnership with the Palais des Beaux‑Arts, Charleroi; Grand Théâtre de Provence; Espace des Arts, scène nationale de Chalon‑sur‑Saône; Opéra de Dijon; Teatro Rivoli, Porto.

With the support of Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels.

In partnership with Diesel.

The CCN Ballet national de Marseille – under the direction of (LA)HORDE is supported by the French Ministry of Culture / Directorate‑General for Artistic Creation, DRAC Paca, and the City of Marseille.