Ariane(s) 2025

An encouner between aerial circus and harp, as a duo or a quartet

Ariane(s) was born from the encounter between musician Hélène Breschand and aerial acrobat Cécile Mont-Reynaud, each with her own instrument: the harp for one, and for the other, the so-called “spinning ropes,” made up of multiple strands developed into curtain-like, flexible walls forming a labyrinth whose raw material is a 3-millimeter cotton thread — an Ariadne’s thread. Within this maze of threads, the path must be reinvented each evening.

Even those unfamiliar with the story of the Minotaur can imagine labyrinths, trials, monsters, and heroes, and connect the thread to Ariadne. This imagery lies somewhere deep within us. It speaks of inner struggles, a quest for possibilities, and the exploration of the unknown. Ariane(s) brings together an aerialist in her ropes and a musician in hers, as many points of tension, vibration, suspension, and support. The labyrinth is approached not as a space of confinement but as a place of possible paths. A choreographic journey, a musical and acrobatic face-off made of ascents, crossings, detours… and sometimes knots.

This monumental rope duo was created in 2005 at Atelier du Plateau in Paris, on the occasion of a carte blanche. A highly innovative form, both in its immersive scenographic setup, its relationship to apparatus, and the boldness of its composition, Ariane(s) was the first large-scale production of Compagnie Lunatic using the so-called “spinning ropes.” This original apparatus and aerial practice were passed on in 2024–25 to Anna Weber, a rope artist trained at the Académie Fratellini, and to the young harpist Elisa Balsamo, currently studying at Pôle Sup 93. This fascinating transmission process was made possible thanks to the support in 2023 of the “Faire revivre” program by Archaos, National Circus Center in Marseille.

In 2005, the sequences of the performance — like episodes of the adventure — were randomly drawn using an original deck of cards created by painter Pham Thi-Tam to determine the order of the day. Twenty years later, this trace of the work has become a kind of graphic score, a remarkable tool for transmission.

Ariane(s) now exists in two versions:

• Ariane(s) duo — Anna Weber, Elisa Balsamo
• Ariane(s) quartet — bringing together the original creators from 2005 and the performers of the 2025 version: Cécile Mont-Reynaud, Hélène Breschand, Anna Weber, Elisa Balsamo

WRITING, DIRECTION AND COMPOSITION 2005-2025
Cécile Mont-Reynaud and Hélène Breschand

SET DESIGN
Cécile Mont-Reynaud (2005-2025) and Gilles Fer (2005)

LIGHTING
Moh Aroussi (2025) - Gilles Fer (2005)

PERFORMERS 2025

Version duo :  Anna Weber (aériens), Elisa Balsamo (musicienne harpiste)

Version quatuor : Cécile Mont-Reynaud et Anna Weber (aériens), Hélène Breschand et Elisa Balsamo (musiciennes harpistes)

COSTUMES
Mélanie Clénet (2005-2025) and Margot Degrémont (2025)

ARTISTIC COLLABORATIONS 2005
Jean-Marc Colet, Laura de Nercy, Jörg Müller, Pham Thi-Tam and Isabelle Censier