Théo Touvet - "Ritournelle"

Called the Cyr wheel or acrobatic circle, this slim circular apparatus has become the preferred instrument of circus artist Théo Touvet. Whether leaping through it or positioning himself with hands and feet in a diagonal series of dizzying spins, this “more-than-an-accessory” is at the core of his work and creation. Fascinated by gravity, Touvet manipulates it with virtuosity. Festival-goers can witness this in short performances in the lobbies of partner theaters before the main shows. Each mini-performance, blending dance and acrobatics, is a moment of suspended grace, infused with poetic and almost metaphysical dimensions. In just a few minutes, this gifted aerialist defies the laws of gravity, overturning our assumptions about the weight of bodies and the direction in which the world spins. His elongated limbs, seeming almost like an extension of the wheel itself, trace arabesques in space to waltz-like rhythms. Though brief and minimalistic, this performance conveys the power and lightness of a large-scale creation.