Trophée is a site-specific performance on the themes of hunting, conquest and military tradition. Three performers in sumptuous baroque dresses, accompanied by drummer, conquer a field like an invading army, adopting postures of trophy wives, hunted animals and ghosts from bygone wars. The piece advances towards the audience over 300 meters, playing with perspective. Trophée explores man’s relationship with his environment, the need to demarcate, possess, tame and exploit. This relationship is not limited to nature, but also to his fellow man. New battle lines are drawn and new identities take shape as humankind encounters the limits to this world view.

Rudi van der Merwe was born and grew up in Calvinia, South Africa. He studied theatre and French at the University of Stellenbosch all the while maintaining independent activity working in theatre, dance and television. He also studied Modern Litterature and Cinema at the University Marc Bloch in Strasbourg and partakes in ex.e.r.ce at the CCN of Montpellier. He has a diploma in post-production from CADSchool Geneva and in 2015 a postgraduate diploma in cinema from Raindance London. Since 2004 he has been performing in variety of diverse and multidisciplinary projects.

Béatrice Graf is and artist & drummer in a wide range of styles and configurations, Béatrice Graf also composes. Since 1996, she has been developing her own projects, often involving atypical instrumentation. Solo to sextet, improvisation to composition, swing to hardcore, acoustic to electronic, she makes fun of limitations, from stylistic conventions to orchestration. In projects and collaborations with jazz, rock, world, electronic musicians as well as theatre and multimedia contemporary artists, Béatrice Graf has developed her own sound and identity over the years. At the same time, she is up to every challenge of free improvisation in myriad contexts.