Scarbo is a gnome, a goblin. Ioannis Mandafounis and Manon Parent borrowed the title from Maurice Ravel, whose music also opens the evening. The longer Manon Parent dances, the more the audience is drawn into her innermost world. A world replete with sadness, anger, joy, helplessness and strength. Those are the feelings the dancer expresses through her movements – immediately and unfiltered. All her cells seem to vibrate at different emotional frequencies. Showing ourselves in such diverse states is a freedom we rarely allow ourselves. This shared intimacy is the core of “Scarbo”. During the piece, the audience is free to consider whether the states in question are real or fictional, memories of the past or a personal story being told.

“Scarbo” explores the role of narration in contemporary dance in terms of function, form and meaning. The dancer herself is at the center of this narrative, which is about the interplay of body, soul and emotion.

The rhythmic dialogue of color, music and dance – which remains free, unconstrained and unpredictable – creates an atmosphere that transports the audience into the live version of an art film.