François Chaignaud & Geoffroy Jourdain

Due to public sector strike, we regret to inform you that the presentation of “t u m u l u s”, by François Chaignaud & Geoffroy Jourdain, scheduled for today, March 17th, at 7:30pm, at Teatro Rivoli, has been cancelled.

To request a refund of tickets, proceed as follows (until March 31st):
- For tickets purchased at the Rivoli and Campo Alegre Ticket Offices, send an email to the bilheteira.tmp@agoraporto.pt, with the respective tickets and proof of IBAN;
- For tickets purchased through the Bilheteira Online (BOL) and at the FNAC, El Corte Inglês, CTT and Worten points of sale, contact the BOL platform via ajuda@bol.pt.


The research that leads this project resides at the heart of this paradox: a dead always contains life. In the middle of the set, a mound takes over the space. It is covered in greenery; it is, simultaneously, a mausoleum and a landscape. In this creation, Chaignaud is inspired by a recurring dream: he imagines a community of dancers and singers who transcend the limits of the two disciplines. He is joined by Geoffroy Jourdain, director of Les Cris de Paris, with whom he shares a common interest in the sacred polyphonies of the Renaissance – the golden age of counterpoint. On stage, a community of thirteen individuals is sometimes grouped together, sometimes split into smaller entities, contaminating each other and thus transporting the melodic line. The idea of ​​tradition comes to life: it is not fixed and does not belong to individuals; it passes through the bodies of those who welcome it. t u m u l u s is a bewitching experience that combines voice and dance and explores the paradox of our bodies, torn between the singular and the collective, materiality and eternity.


After graduating in 2003 from the Paris National Conservatory of Music and Dance, François Chaignaud has collaborated with several choreographers and created performances in which dance and singing meet at the intersection of many inspirations. Also a historian, François Chaignaud has published L’Affaire Berger-Levrault: le féminisme à l’épreuve (1898-1905). His curiosity for history has driven him to initiate various collaborations, notably with artist Marie-Caroline Hominal (Duchesses, 2009), and Théo Mercier (Radio Vinci Park, 2016). In 2017, Chaignaud created Romances inciertos, un autre Orlando, in collaboration with Nino Laisné. The performance was centered on androgynous figures from the Spanish Baroque folklore. In 2018, he produced Souflette, a piece for 14 dancers from the Ballet Carte Blanche (Norway). In 2019, he produced Symphonia Harmoniæ Cæelestium Revelatonum, in collaboration with Marie-Pierre Brébant, inspired by the complete musical works of Hildegarde de Bingen. In 2020, Chaignaud created GOLD SHOWER in collaboration with butoh icon Akaji Maro, and choreographed Un Boléro, inspired by the work of Bronislava Nijinska, with Dominique Brun and Les Siècles orchestra.

Geoffroy Jourdain started conducting vocal ensembles at a young age, while studying musicology at the Sorbonne University and researching the Italian musical collections of several European libraries. He founded Les Cris de Paris while he was still a student. The ensemble soon became renowned for its bold artistic vision and its commitment to defend contemporary creation. Jourdain seeks to find ways to create innovative musical performances, working in collaboration with stage directors, actors, choreographers and visual artists. He has commissioned and created works by Beat Furrer, Mauro Lanza, Marco Stroppa, Francesco Filidei, Oscar Strasnoy (including the Cachafaz opera), or Ivan Fedele, and is passionate about 17th and 18th centuries repertoires and ethnomusicology.


Co-presentation with:
Culturgest, March 10th and 11th, 2023