On tour • Created in 2021
À 2 mètres
ADM vzw [Be]
Circus under oxygen
Three elements. Two acrobats on a Chinese pole and that oxygen, the invisible one that is everywhere in the air and yet missing in Jesse’s body.
With the help of his friend, Jesse shows that we don’t stand on fears, but on dreams. Suffering from cystic fibrosis, they evoke the fragility of our lives and the power of hope.
Discovering oneself, learning to help each other, asking for help, learning to find the strength to realize oneself, so many themes approached with sincerity.
A touching and generous show that allows human beings to be human.
PRIX MAETERLINCK 2022 for best circus show, French community Belgium
PRIX ULTIMA 2023 for best circus show, Flemish community Belgium
Credits
Artists and authors Jesse Huygh and Rocio Garrote (in rotation with Sanahé Deruelle) Help with the dramaturgy and the realisation of light Alba Sarraute Outside eyes Aurelia Brailowsky & Sergi Pares Lighting design Nicolas Priouzeau Photos Patrick Lemineur (indoor), Boris Aguirre (outdoor) Music Felix Fivaz (Composition, recording, mixing & mastering), Jonas Brülhart (Text and interpretation), Marco Nuesch (Voice recording) Dissemination Cécile Imbernon, La chouette diffusion Administration Jesse Huygh Residency and co-production 30CC en partenariat avec CIRKL, Leuven (BE), Espace Catastrophe // centre international de création des arts du cirque, Bruxelles (BE) |Theater op de markt Dommelhof, Neerpelt (BE) | Perplx, Kortijk (BE) Coproduction De Grote Post, Oostende(BE) | CIRC’UIT (BE) | La Cascade, Pôle cirque Auvergne Rhône Alpes (FR) | ARCHAOS, Pôle National Cirque (FR) Residency Cultuurcentrum De Werf, Aalst (BE) | Centre culturel Wolubilis, Bruxelles (BE), Festival MAD/ oude badhuis
Without any miserabilism or moralism, A 2 mètres simply composes the ballet of two beings, side by side. Two people flying through the air – struggling with the air – hanging on to those lives that hang by a thread.
Jesse’s story is very impressive, but his new production contains much more than his personal story. At a time when humanity is literally and figuratively at the end of its rope, A 2 mètres will be a fresh breeze, a show of hope.
Jesse, a cystic fibrosis patient from Edegem (BE), is going to perform an extraordinary acrobatic feat called “A deux mètres”. The two meters refer to the two meter oxygen tube he has to carry. It is also the mandatory distance that we must keep from each other to avoid viral or bacterial cross-contamination. For Jesse, it’s also a physical challenge.
The company
ADM vzw [Be]
Jesse Huygh
Despite being diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at the age of 12, Jesse has always been athletic: gymnastics at the national level, judo, swimming, and circus left little time in his day for other hobbies. After graduating from ESAC (Ecole Supérieure des Arts du Cirque) in Brussels in 2011, where he specialised in Chinese pole, straps, floor acrobatics and acrobatic lifts, he works for various large companies around the world, such as Cirque Eloize, NoFitState CIrcus and Casus. He also works on personal projects, solos and duos. Since 2016, he is one of the founding members of Sous le Manteau Collective, whose first show “MONSTRO” was released in January 2019. Due to health complications in the summer of 2020, Jesse was replaced in this show, allowing him to start a new creation: “À 2 Mètres” brought by ADM vzw. ( Premiered in May 2021). In parallel to this artistic career, he has also been developing pedagogical work since 2011. Jesse is not only involved in professional training: ESAC (Brussels), Académie Fratellini (Paris), Codarts (Rotterdam), ACaPA (Tilburg), ECB (Bordeaux), but he also gives numerous masterclasses and workshops all over the world.In 2020, following numerous pneumonias and hospitalizations, Jesse faces a lung capacity of 40%.
Rocio Garrote
Rocío Garrote was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Trained in the renowned circus schools of Buenos Aires, she joined the contemporary dance company IFA-CDC. Passionate about movement and teaching, Rocío studied physical education at ISEF II in Argentina. In 2015, she decided to study Chinese pole at the École Supérieure Des Arts du Cirque de Bruxelles (ESAC), in Belgium, from which she graduated in 2018. Rocío develops her work as a creator, performer, apprentice and teacher. She believes that life is a constant learning and sharing process. In this perspective, she works with many companies (TerazNow (Be), Hurjaruuth (Fi), Mauvais Coton (Fr)) and gives workshops and performances in different festivals, theatres and museums in Belgium and abroad.