“Folia”, Compagnie Käfig

The Kursaal hosts a day of dance featuring the French Compagnie Käfig, choreographer Mourad Merzouki, and their production Folia. This fusion of dance and live music, blending baroque and street rhythms, derives its title from a popular 17th-century Castilian court dance. The collaboration between Merzouki and Frank-Emmanuel Comte, leader of the group Le Concert de l'Hostel Dieu, birthed this innovative performance. Merzouki explains, “There is great diversity and avant-garde elements in the baroque repertoire of the 17th and 18th centuries. Some music belongs to a refined repertoire, like Vivaldi's, while others originate from dance, such as the Tarentelles or the Chaconnes. We took a tarantella, sampled and looped baroque scores, added electronic music, merged it all together, and danced. The essence lies in the confrontation, degradation, and collision of both worlds, ensuring their communication.”

The outcome is a captivating amalgamation of contemporary dance and popular, baroque, and hip-hop music—a performance that, according to Le Figaro, “builds gradually [...] blending styles, dancers, and musicians [...] culminating in an irresistible spiral of energy.”