Grégoire Schaller
+ More info- Live performance
- Théâtre de l'oiseau-Mouche, Roubaic
- 50min
- Pass Latitudes
- Avant-Première
No country for old fag
No Country for Old Fag reveals post-cowboy, hybrid and queer figures, tracing a crossroads between country culture and the energy of 90s raves.
Set up and devised by the entertainment industry, the mythical figure of the Euro-American cowboy embodies the fantasies of virility, freedom and strength, conquering in turn women, animals, Native Americans and the rolling landscapes of the American West. An archetype which is nonetheless very far from the reality of the inconsistent work performed by the Black Buffalo Soldiers, former slaves who were finally freed. While the colonial imagination of the conquest resonates poorly with reality, Grégoire Schaller spent a month deep in the desert of Chihuahua, in Southwest Texas. With No Country for Old Fag, he challenges the virile figure of the cowboy: the body, adorned with a wide-brimmed hat and the iconic chaps, pushed to the limit by line-dancing steps, becomes a tool for critical reappropriation. A no-holds barred performance, which supersedes the current narrative to include new ideas which are more inclusive and emancipatory.
Biography(s)
Grégoire Schaller is a multidisciplinary artist working at the intersection of dance, performance, and visual arts. His projects connect the body to archetypal figures such as the gymnast, the matador, or the cowboy. Through these works, he explores our relationship to death and loss, the naturalization of power dynamics, and the construction of dominant narratives.
Supported by Lava, the company he co-founded with choreographer Anna Chirescu, his creations have been presented in both site specific and theater contexts, including the Centre Pompidou, the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, the Palais de Tokyo, MAC VAL, La Ménagerie de verre, and Villa Noailles. In 2024 and 2025, he was awarded residencies at Villa Albertine (Marfa, TX) and Villa Kujoyama (Kyoto). He has also performed in works by Théo Mercier and Stéphanie Aflalo.
Credits
conception, interpretation Grégoire Schaller
regards extérieurs Stéphanie Aflalo, Anna Chirescu, Bryana Fritz
costumes Darius Dolatyari-Dolatdoust en collaboration avec Henrique Oliveira (fabrication)
sund Grégoire Schaller
rap Stéphanie Aflalo
production Elissa Kollyris
Coproduction : CCN de Grenoble
Support : Centre Pompidou, Paris ; Villa Albertine, TX, USA ; Ballroom Marfa, TX ; Maintenant Marfa, TX ; L’Oiseau-Mouche, Roubaix
Residencies : Ballet National de Marseille ; CN D Lyon ; Pavillon ADC Genève ; Ménagerie de verre, Paris ; kunstencentrum BUDA
