Impressing the Grand Duke

2016

Watch the trailer here

Impressing the Grand Duke (★★★★) by Simone and Elisabeth offers something a little different. In contrast to the fluffy, pastel tulle costumes and the self-absorption of their characters, this is a refreshingly objective and tightly crafted work.

Racing through an array of choreographic devices Simone and Elisabeth attack the creative process and the challenge of establishing oneself as an artist with humour, flair and bold self-assessment. They make wry observations on the term ’emerging’ and the piece as a whole is stylish, fun and finely judged dance theatre.

Rachel Elderkin, The Stage

In Impressing the Grand Duke, Mousset and Schilling have added a delightful sense of humour to their musicality and ability to paint with dance, which makes them a creative duo to watch.

Nicholas Minns, Author at Writing about dance

A playful performance at the crossroads of dance, theatre, and literature (…) Original, fresh, authentic, creative, innovative. Long live humour and impertinence!

Florence Becanne, Le Jeudi

A colourful choreographic fairy tale!

Mireille Petitgenet, Luxemburger Wort

A funny performance full of slapstick. In this piece (…) the artists make fun of the “emerging artist” – label and present us programmers with a critical view at the way we (would like!) to look at the “up-and-coming talents”. The audience and above all we, the professionals in the auditorium, were laughing heartily!

Ainhoa Achutegui, director of the Centre Culturel de Rencontre Abbaye de Neumünster Luxembourg

Impressing the Grand Duke is a choreographic collaboration of Simone Mousset and Elisabeth Schilling. Full of humour and irony, this piece playfully questions the meaning and relevance of the term “emerging choreographers”.

Once upon a time, there was an artist called Nymphadora. Nymphadora lived on the third rainbow (of the top left corner) of the World’s last Grand Duchy. There she was dreaming, and dancing, and creating all day long. Everything was perfect in Nymphadora’s world, until the day she got a visit from the Grand Duke: As one of the Grand Duchy’s most promising emerging artists, Nymphadora is sent on a mission to find the World’s Most Original Piece.

Concept, choreography and performance: Simone Mousset and Elisabeth Schilling

Artistic support: Anne-Mareike Hess

Outside Eye: Rachel Lopez de la Nieta, Anne Simon, Linda Bonvini, Thierry Mousset

Costumes: Mélanie Planchard

Light design: Brice Durand

Musical Arrangements: Krischan Kriesten

Music: Claude Debussy “Etude 10 pour sonorités opposées”

Co-produced by the Centre de Création Chorégraphique Luxembourgeois, TROIS C-L
Supported by the Ministère de la Culture du Luxembourg; Ville de Luxembourg; Cercle Cité; Oeuvre Nationale de Secours Grande-Duchesse Charlotte | stART-up; Fonds Culturel National.