Laisse!

“Laisse!” invites you to explore a thought-provoking question through an unconventional experience. Are we not all bound to a person, a place, a belief, or an object? These connections—whether imposed or chosen—are they constraints or tools for liberation?

In our show “Laisse!”, two performers use their bodies and your presence to embark on a unique journey exploring the concept of attachment. Through possessed dances, acrobatic flights, collective euphoria, and intimate dialogues, they present a whimsical and tragicomic vision of humanity grappling with its bonds.

Our performance delves into the broader notion of attachment, symbolically represented by the leash itself.

When worn by a person, a leash can evoke a sense of violence or provocation, but it also leads to philosophical and societal metaphors. It embodies humanity’s submission to the limits that define us: the physical constraints of our bodies and space, the mental boundaries between reason and madness, and the divisions between human and animal, freedom and alienation.

The leash also becomes a generator of connections, reflecting the complex relationships we have with others and our surroundings. At the other end of the leash is a person: a parent, a friend, a lover, a deceased one… or even a state of mind, a habit, an obsession, an addiction. The multitude and nature of these connections influence our behavior, judgment, and condition. One could argue that these attachments are inevitable and that attempting to rid ourselves of them would be illusory. True freedom, then, might lie in being fully aware of these connections and consciously choosing when, how, and with what intensity we let them shape our lives. Whether chosen or imposed, these attachments weave a web in which we navigate.

To highlight these connections, our show heavily involves audience interaction, making spectators active participants in the experience. With the leash in hand, the viewer becomes part of the performance. Subtly, we pose this question: Do we not often view those who seem dependent or submissive as victims of their alienation, while failing to recognize that we ourselves are under numerous influences that dominate us?