Kissing Rebellion
Kissing Rebellion – a show of love and care
Everything you see happening around takes their inspiration from something. Such is the case of Kissing Rebellion. This theatrical dance act took its inspiration from a social message that emerged and became a driving factor behind spreading kindness and care after the 2015 Paris terror attacks. So, what was the message about? It said, “Il va falloir beaucoup, beaucoup, beaucoup d’amour”; meaning, it is going to take a lot, a lot, a lot of love. This show explores the impact left on the world by disasters and personal losses. Catch it live on stage at the London Ovalhouse Theatre. Kissing Rebellion will only run 13 performances. Make sure you don’t miss this brand new dance theatre, which is the result of a lot of love.
Boucher and Defrin’s exploration of kisses
What can a person do to console their broken heart? How do you learn to heal yourself when you are trying to recover from a mishap? Co-creators Abigail Boucher and Carolyn Defrin attempt to discover how a little thing such as a kiss can act as the personification of trust, care and love. They have collected beautiful stories from their conversations with family members, friends and known ones, and together they have put forth a compelling and emotive multi-media performance that represents a simple message – the simplest gesture can be the greatest act of care.
Boucher and Defrin’s first collaboration was in 2011. They worked together with The House Theatre on the production of The Sparrow. Since then, they have joined forces on various projects that Defrin led in London in 2012 (The Balloon), and Chicago in 2016 (Missing). Their coalition was mainly based on experimenting with storytelling and design, allowing them to come up with something as captivating as Kissing Rebellion. Following Defrin’s inclination towards exploring different kissing cultures, this show is hers and Boucher’s first co-created project.
The story behind Kissing Rebellion
Three years, four cities, hundreds of conversations and more kisses than you can keep a track of are the elements responsible for this multimedia performance. This exciting dance theatre digs out the meaning of the effect that worldwide crises and the never-fading impact of personal heartbreaks have on people. It is a multiplatform project which mainly includes an expanding online archive of kissing stories where people from all parts of the world can share their experiences and stories of healing and care along with an audiovisual set-up that contains a range of recordings, and an original dance-theatre piece. The recordings are from dinner parties that both Boucher and Defrin held in their respective homes in Los Angeles, Chicago, Paris and London. There, the guests shared their stories that started with a kiss.
The show comprises songs in English, French and Hebrew. Experience the tales of an asexual man and a trans man, as well as familial, platonic, non-heterosexual and inter-racial relationships. Learn about putting your efforts to provide comfort and care to others. See and hear remarkable short instances where people continue to offer love and kindness through all the difficult times.