Since 2012, Souhail Marchiche and Mehdi Meghari have been exploring the evolutions of street dance, while trying to remain close to the original hip-hop values of sharing, connection and exchange. Their shows En quête (2012) and Dyptik (2014) questioned the theme of identity, before they took a more rebellious turn with Dans l’engrenage (2017) and Le Cri (2018). This cycle began in 2016 with D-Construction, their first open-air, dual-fronted experiment. The metal structure, which is evocative of Jerome Robbins’ chain-link fences for West Side Story, brings forthright questioning of the nature of social relationships in public space. Are we able to challenge the territories, boundaries and institutions that hem us in?

The metal fencing can represent a prison, a cage, a playground, an insurmountable barrier or a place of expression – both a constraint and a source of inspiration that physically draws the audience into the heart of the show. The dancers are permanently in the audience’s gaze, even while they catch their breath. The choreography is constructed and deconstructed with and against this structure.

The 35 minutes of D-Construction carry a rare intensity and power to engage spectators through the energy and improvisation, rebellion and resistance, rush and confusion of the show.