Brigel Gjoka, Rauf "RubberLegz" Yasit et Ruşan Filiztek

WITH THE PARIS AUTUMN FESTIVAL

These leading artists of their art form – contemporary dance and break dance – interweave their different cultural lineages into a new choreographic language.

They met on the production of A Quiet Evening of Dance by William Forsythe and have been inseparable ever since. In Neighbours, Brigel Gjoka and Rauf “Rubberlegz” Yasit question their roots and present lives. Gjoka, an Albanian who relocated to France, and Yasit, a Los Angeles-based German with Kurdish roots, merge their art forms without dispensing with their specific identities. The former conveys an almost baroque style while the latter’s is more urban. The result is an exhilarating combination of floorwork, step-over moves and voluptuous pas de deux. Neighbours also benefits from the music performed live by composer Ruşan Filiztek, an Istanbul native. The duo becomes a trio, taking these “neighbors” to faraway places. Under the eye of William Forsythe, Neighbours invents a new choreographic language where various talents meet.

Philippe Noisette