Around the shows
When art becomes shared
Beyond the stage, Company AMA is committed to sharing its artistic universe through mediation actions. These workshops, conferences, and educational interventions are designed to extend the experience of the shows, creating spaces for meeting, exchange, and exploration. Whether through movement, reflection, or surprise, these initiatives invite every participant to actively engage in the creative process.
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Dive with us into this universe where art becomes a vehicle for dialogue, discovery, and shared stories.
The exhibition linked to the show Professional (De)formation is a visual and narrative extension of the reflection initiated by Élodie Guézou on one's relationship with work and the professional challenges faced. Through portraits and testimonies from workers, the exhibition explores the art of "bending over backwards" in the workplace.
The contortionists of Company AMA interpret these stories physically, highlighting human adaptability in the face of professional constraints.
The exhibition features a diptych of texts and images, creating a dialogue between body, narrative, and personal experience
The yoga session, linked to the show Professional (De)formation and taking place in its stage setting, offers a physical approach to the themes of work and flexibility, both mental and physical.
Led by Élodie Guézou or a yoga teacher, this session invites participants to explore twists and postures inspired by contortion, while creating a space for reflection on the limits and tensions we encounter in our professional lives.
This activity offers a moment of relaxation and introspection, echoing the issues raised in the show, where the body becomes a vehicle for liberation and resilience.
The conference linked to the show Professional (De)formation offers a dialogue between Elodie Guezou and Dr. Michel Ritz, a medical specialist. Together, they explore the connections between the art of contortion and physical and mental health.
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The conference addresses the effects of intense work on the body, the health challenges posed by contortion, and how it can impact an artist's daily life. This discussion enriches the reflection initiated by the show by offering a shared perspective between artistic experience and medical expertise, raising awareness about body care in demanding professions.
This activity is specially designed for school groups and businesses, offering a fun and educational approach to circus arts in connection with the show Professional (De)formation.
Through interactive workshops on balance and acrobatic lifts, Company AMA invites participants to discover the physical and mental challenges of "bending over backwards" while exploring concepts of flexibility, adaptability, and resilience.
These workshops create bridges between the body and the realities of work, encouraging participants to reflect on their own relationship with work and the demands it imposes, while promoting group cohesion and exchange.
Inspired by the eponymous performance, Artistic Intervention is a creative workshop led by company members, where participants are invited to rethink their daily lives through a unique artistic intervention.
They explore their own artistic language, define a project, and create a piece to present in a familiar space from their everyday life. This action aims to surprise and touch the people they encounter, transforming an ordinary moment into an unexpected artistic experience
IN DETAIL...
TESTIMONIAL COLLECTION AND EXHIBITION
This exhibition is the result of an introspective project based on in-depth dialogues with workers near major cultural centers, such as Théâtre La Renaissance and the Juliobona Cultural Center. Elodie Guezou captured their professional and personal stories during intimate meetings, which served as the foundation for the show Professional (De)formation. These stories were transposed into written portraits and interpreted by the contortionists of Company AMA, expressing adaptability in the face of professional challenges through their art.
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The exhibition features a diptych of texts and images, visually and narratively exploring our capacity to adapt and transform throughout our personal and professional journeys.
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The installation's duration can vary from 1 day to over a month, depending on the needs. It includes 10 panels, along with setup, takedown, and transportation of the works.
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New panels can be designed alongside a phase of testimony collection from local workers, resulting in the creation of 5 to 10 worker portraits, which are then integrated into the exhibition
THE YOGA SESSION
In connection with the show Professional (De)formation and set within its scenic space, we invite the audience to join a yoga session alongside Elodie Guezou, contortionist, or Emilie Bonnafous-Armengol, yoga instructor.
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The session focuses on twists, echoing the show, and aims to give participants a feel of being a contortionist! No prior experience or special physical ability is required, and participants are encouraged to wear comfortable clothing.
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Duration: 1h15
Open to all
THE CONFERENCE - DIALOGUE BETWEEN ART AND SCIENCE
The conference around the show Professional (De)formation brings together two central figures: Dr Michel Ritz , a rehabilitation doctor who has dedicated more than 10 years to the study of contortionists, revealing the absence of spinal deformation in these artists, and Élodie Guezou , contortionist and author of the show.
In the play Elodie discusses this meeting. She was the 28th contortionist studied by Dr. Ritz.
During the conference, both share their experiences and unique perspectives on contortion, enriching the dialogue between art and science.
This conference offers an in-depth exploration of the intersections between physical performance and medical research.
Duration : Between 45 minutes and 1 hour 15 minutes, including discussion with spectators.
EXPLORING THE ART OF "BENDING OVER BACKWARDS"
FOR SCHOOL AND CORPORATE
Directed by Elodie Guezou, “Exploring the art of bending over backwards” is a project designed for school audiences and businesses directly linked to the theme of the show.
The workshops
Through physical practice workshops and reflection sessions, a group of participants is led to explore the circus arts and discuss the art of bending over backwards.
This immersive experience aims to stimulate creativity, strengthen team cohesion and encourage reflection on key concepts such as work, passion and professional success. By combining the artistic techniques of contemporary circus with deep discussions on the challenges of professional life, “Exploring the Art of Bending Over Four” offers a holistic approach to learning and personal growth.
The documentary film
At the end of this project, we are designing a documentary film, a record of this meeting. This film will capture the most inspiring moments and the most valuable lessons of the experience, thus offering a souvenir concretizing the outcome of this project and the richness of this meeting.
An example here:
ARTISTIC INTERVENTION: CREATIVE GUIDANCE
Artistic Intervention is also an educational action which invites participants to rethink their daily environment through a surprising artistic intervention.
Guided by the speakers of the AMA company, the participants, whether they are pupils, students, members of associations, or hospital patients, engage in a creative process around the question:
“What artistic surprise do you want to offer to the people you meet in your daily life?”
Initiated in 2015 with students from the Professional School of Circus Arts in Lomme-Lille, this approach has since been adopted by various audiences , from amateurs to professionals in training, including neighborhood associations, schools and patients of the day hospital.
The workshop offers personalized support, where each participant explores their own artistic language , defines a creative objective and offers their work in the form of a performance or intervention in a familiar place in their daily life, to surprise and touch the people who live there.
Goals :
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Allow each participant to meet and explore their own artistic universe.
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Define and realize a personal or collective creative project.
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Support each step of the creation process.
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Publicly restore the work in an everyday setting, thus offering an unexpected and generous artistic moment.
Duration: Project to be built together, variable duration
They trusted us:
Seoul Street Art Creation Center, La Boutique des frissons – Paris, CHU Rouen, Maison Arrêt Rouen, Armada Rouen 2019, CLEAC Cirque-Théâtre Elbeuf – Condorcet Elbeuf Primary School, Carré Magique Lannion – Savina High School Students Circus Option, Students of the Lomme-Lille Professional Circus School, Carré Magique - Circus in the Classroom Device,...