Cultural Services of the French Embassy and French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF) present TILT KIDS FESTIVAL Inaugural Children’s Festival Presents 5 Premieres by Artists from France and Around the World, March 4–April 3

Cultural Services of the French Embassy and

French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF)

present

TILT KIDS FESTIVAL

Inaugural Children’s Festival Presents 5 Premieres

by Artists from France and Around the World

March 4–April 3
 

New York, NY, January 15, 2015—The Cultural Services of the French Embassy and the French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF) today announced programming for the inaugural Tilt Kids Festival. The new cultural festival for families will feature multidisciplinary international work paired with commissions from New York artists, including five premieres. Tilt Kids Festival runs from March 4 through April 3. Tickets will go on sale December 23 at www.tiltkidsfestival.org.

Philosophy and music, circus and magic, design, dance, and gastronomy come together in a month of ambitious and playful events specially curated for the audiences of today and tomorrow. For this year’s edition of Tilt, several of the artists will be creating their first-ever works for children.

The Cultural Services of the French Embassy and FIAF are thrilled to embark on this new adventure with a network of leading cultural institutions: The Brooklyn Academy of Music, NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, Museum of Food and Drink, and The Invisible Dog Art Center.

The inaugural edition of the festival will present the world premiere of The Total People, a commission from the Obie-award winning New York theater company 600 Highwaymen and their first work for young audiences; the US premieres of Cabaret de Magie Nouvelle from Parisian new magic artists Cie 14:20; circus-theater spectacle L’Immédiat from French dancer and acrobat Camille Boitel, a founder of James Thierée’s Junebug Symphony Company; Carnival of the Animals from Australian circus-theater group Circa; and the New York premiere of Orchestra for Life from DUO1804, featuring New York-based Haitian-American composer/violinist Daniel Bernard Roumain and Afro-Electronica musician DJ Val-Inc.

The festival will also present Carousel of Ideas, a special day of events for kids and families featuring a forum of ideas elaborated by New York based philosopher Simon Critchley, interactive performances led by contemporary choreographers Miguel Gutierrez and Bouchra Ouizguen, and a performance from Jérôme Bel; a reading of Catherine Verlaguet’s adaptation of the hit play Oh Boy!, directed by celebrated French artist Olivier Letellier; as well as a flavor workshop led by New York restaurateur Wylie Dufresne, his first program specially designed for children.

Additionally, the festival will present the art installations Le bestiaire, conceived by French artist and designer Ionna Vautrin; and Anima, a special exhibition created for children and their families by New York-based French artist Prune Nourry and Valentine Losseau, founder of the magie nouvelle artistic movement; as well as two Art de Vivre talks about health and well-being curated by journalist Erica Lumière, specially designed for parents.

“With Tilt Kids Festival we challenged ourselves to position art for young audiences in the context of the most uncompromising productions for any age group. We commissioned and sought out projects on par with our aesthetic ideals, brimming with both intellectual integrity and playfulness. Our goal is to spark children’s creativity and encourage them to love the arts through unique, transformative experiences.”—Lili Chopra and Violaine Huisman, co-curators of Tilt Kids Festival

“The demand for high-level children’s programming is greater than ever, and at both the Cultural Services of the French Embassy and FIAF we’re thrilled to put a greater emphasis on young audiences.”—Bénédicte de Montlaur, Cultural Counselor of the French Embassy and Marie-Monique Steckel, President of the French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF)

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Merci!

Special thanks to all our partners in New York and Paris who helped us make Tilt happen: Institut français, the French Ministry of Culture and Communication, Howard Gilman Foundation, FACE Foundation, Florence Gould Foundation, Air France, and SACD (Société des auteurs et compositeurs dramatiques).

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IONNA VAUTRIN: Le bestiaire

Saturday, January 16 through Saturday, April 2

FIAF Gallery, 22 East 60th Street (between Park and Madison Avenue)

Tuesday through Friday, 11am–6pm; Saturday, 11am–5pm

Free & open to the public

Ages 3 and up

The FIAF Gallery is transformed into an imaginary zoo where children have the chance to become all kinds of animals, from the most gentle to the very wild. The brainchild of artist Ionna Vautrin, this exhibit features the whimsical illustrations of 14 artists and invites kids to play and make their own creature costumes.\

Kids create their own creatures at special Le bestiaire workshops on March 19 and April 2. See Artist Workshops below for details.

About Ionna Vautrin

Industry meets poetry in the work of designer and artist Ionna Vautrin. With everyday objects that are simple and obvious, yet never cease to surprise, her work embodies a gentle and generous presence, organic and geometric shapes, a cheerful and colorful spirit, and an intuitive and functional usage. After working for such brands as Camper, George J. Sowden, and Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec, Vautrin won the Grand Prize for Creation in the city of Paris in 2010. She opened her own studio the following year. Today, Vautrin works with brands including Foscarini, Moustache, Kvadrat, Christian Dior, Sancal, Super-ette, Lexon, Serralunga, and more.

Le bestiaire is part of Oui Design, a program initiated by the Cultural Services of the French Embassy.

Exhibition produced by the City of Design as part of the Saint-Etienne International Design Biennial 2015.

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CIE 14:20: Cabaret de Magie Nouvelle (US Premiere)

Friday, March 4 at 7pm & Saturday, March 5 at 2pm 

FIAF, Florence Gould Hall, 55 East 59th Street, (between Park and Madison Avenue)

$20 General, $15 FIAF Members

Ages 6 and up

Every moment is a surprise in this cabaret of magic that finally makes its US debut! Merging circus, shadow puppetry, and magic tricks, this cabaret of magie nouvelle defies theatrical conventions and audience expectations. Watch as the laws of gravity are lifted, jugglers perform unbelievable feats, and fingers intertwine into intricate shadow puppets. Created from the endless imaginations of Compagnie 14:20, Paris’ masterminds of new magic.

About Cie 14:20

Under the leadership of Clément Debailleul and Raphaël Navarro, Cie 14:20 has created nearly 40 works including performances, installations and designs for theater. They’ve collaborated with designer Jean-Paul Gaultier, choreographer Philippe Découflé, Cirque du Soleil, trumpeter Ibrahim Maalouf, and artist JR.

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A COLLABORATIVE PROJECT: Anima
Co-presented with The Invisible Dog Art Center

Special Reception for Kids & Families Saturday, March 5 from 4–6pm; Opening 6–10pm

Sunday, March 6 through Friday, April 15

The Invisible Dog Art Center, 51 Bergen Street (between Smith and Court Streets) Brooklyn, NYC

Thursday through Saturday, 1–7pm; Sunday, 1–5pm

Free & open to the public
Ages 5 and up

A luscious forest and archaeological dig open up a world of myth and magic in Anima. Kids are invited into the immersive and interactive installation to explore the connection between man, animals, and soul, inspired by Mayan culture. Anima is a collaboration between visual artist Prune Nourry (Terracotta Daughters, 2014) and anthropologist Valentine Losseau with magicians Raphael Navarro (Cie 14:20) and Etienne Saglio, artist Takao Shiraishi, and scenographer Benjamin Gabrié.

About Prune Nourry

Prune Nourry is a New York-based French multidisciplinary artist who is currently in residence at the Invisible Dog Art Center in Brooklyn. Trained as a sculptor, Nourry now also explores mediums such as photography, film, performance, and design. She draws her inspiration from themes surrounding bioethics, bringing attention to issues that arise from our fast-paced scientific discoveries, in particular, artificial procreation. Nourry was last seen in New York with the much lauded Terracotta Daughters, part of FIAF’s Crossing the Line festival in 2014.

About Valentine Losseau

Valentine Losseau is an anthropologist and the founder of the magie nouvelle (new magic) artistic movement with Raphaël Navarro and Clément Debailleul. An encounter with Philippe Descola in 2005 determined the course of her work. A specialist in Indian and Mayan cultures, she speaks three languages and overlays her passion for magic and theater-making with a theoretical anthropological perspective. Associated with Cemca (CNRS-Mexico), she studies and works at the Social Anthropology Laboratory of the Collège de France. As a playwright, she collaborates in writing diverse, international productions. She is also the author of a work with Michel Butor, Les chants de la gravitation (2012).

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CAMILLE BOITEL: L’Immédiat (US Premiere)

Presented by NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts

Wednesday through Saturday, March 9 through 12 at 8pm; Sunday, March 13 at 3pm

NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, 566 LaGuardia Place (between Thompson Street and LaGuardia Place)

$35–65

Ages 8 and up

In sixty minutes of circus-theater chaos, seven young acrobat-adventurers defy a whirlwind of unstable forces with optimism, dark humor, and breathtaking physical skills. Created for audiences of all ages by the award-winning Camille Boitel, a founding figure from James Thierrée’s Junebug Symphony Company.

About Camille Boitel

Camille Boitel develops projects at the intersection of circus, magic, and contortion, creating a theater of objects and movement. After winning the inaugural Jeunes Talents Cirque (Young Circus Performer) Award in 2002, Camille Boitel created the company lamereboitel. He staged their first show, Man of Hus, before changing the company’s name to l’immédiat and creating an eponymous show.

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Art de Vivre

A special edition of FIAF’s Art de Vivre series is presented just in time for the Tilt Kids Festival. Hear experts discuss the best ways to broach health and well-being in two talks designed for parents. Curated by journalist Erica Lumière.

How to Talk To Your Kids About Sex 
Wednesday, March 9, 7pm
FIAF Le Skyroom, 22 East 60th Street (between Park and Madison Avenue)

Answering questions about puberty, sex, and sexuality can be daunting for many parents, especially in the digital age. Learn how to have easier, ongoing conversations from top experts.

Secret Health Habits of French Families
Wednesday, March 16, 12pm
FIAF Florence Gould Hall, 55 East 59th Street, (between Park and Madison Avenue)

How do parents from Paris to Provence get kids to eat vegetables, sit through long meals, and go to bed on time without a fuss? Learn the secret health habits French kids love (and yours will too).

About Erica Lumière

Erica Lumière is a veteran of women’s magazines. She was a senior editor at Marie Claire and has held staff positions at Parenting, Family Circle, and Ladies’ Home Journal. Lumière is now a freelance writer and editor, specializing in health, sex, and lifestyles. Her work has been published in a variety of publications, including Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Self, Woman’s Day, Harper’s Bazaar, In Touch Weekly, Gotham, Hamptons, and Time Out New York. Lumière is also on the Alumni Board of the Lycée Français de New York. For the past three years, Lumière has curated FIAF’s popular series The Art of Sex & Seduction.

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600 HIGHWAYMEN: The Total People

Saturday, March 12 at 2 & 5pm

FIAF, Le Skyroom, 22 East 60th Street (between Park and Madison Avenue)

$20 General, $15 FIAF Members

Ages 7 and up

600 Highwaymen “want to re-wire your theatergoing DNA” (The New Yorker) and we want them to start young! The extraordinary creators of Employee of the Year, 600 HIGHWAYMEN present the first incarnation of a new commission. A performance made of people and the songs inside of them, The Total People is a fleeting moment in our lives to see and be seen, to hear and be heard.

About 600 Highwaymen

600 Highwaymen, under the direction of Abigail Browde & Michael Silverstone, makes performances that focus on the inherent poignancy and theatricality of people together. The Obie-award winning company explore a radical approach to making live art, constructing events that create intimacy among a group of strangers. Hilton Als in The New Yorker writes, “I wish to hear anything that 600 Highwaymen has to say … the company’s guilelessness is central to its beautiful art.” Since 2009, they’ve made six works that have toured throughout Europe and in the U.S.

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SPECIAL EVENT: Carousel of Ideas

Saturday, March 19; all day

Cultural Services of the French Embassy, 972 Fifth Avenue (at 79th Street)

Free & open to the public

Ages 4 and up

For one day, the French Embassy´s iconic fifth avenue mansion will be transformed into an inventive and creative space where young audiences can exercise both mind and body. In the morning, philosopher Simon Critchley will orchestrate a forum of ideas with small groups of budding intellectuals. The afternoon will turn to dance, starting with Ballet by Jérôme Bel and opening up to an interactive ball for families and children by world-renowned choreographers Bouchra Ouizguen and Miguel Gutierrez.

Philosophy of Ideas

10am, 11am & 12am Free with RSVP

Ages 4 and up

Ballet by Jérôme Bel

3pm; Free with RSVP

Ball with Bouchra Ouizguen

4pm; Free

Ball with Miguel Gutierrez

5:30pm Free

Jérôme Bel’s Ballet is a Performa Commission for Performa 15.

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Reading of Catherine Verlaguet’s adaptation of Oh Boy!  

Based on the children’s novel by Marie-Aude Murail

Directed by Olivier Letellier

Saturday, April 2 at 2:30pm

Cultural Services of the French Embassy, 972 Fifth Avenue (at 79th Street)

In English

Free; RSVP at tiltkidsfestival.org

Ages 10 and up 

Oh Boy! is the honest and heartrending story of a group of siblings that unexpectedly land in the lap of an unprepared young man. With tenderness and humor, Marie-Aude Murail’s renowned children’s novel examines some of life’s most devastating events. Adapted for the stage by Catherine Verlaguet, Olivier Letellier directs actor Matthew Brown in a staged reading of this modern tale.
Theater reading followed by Q&A.

A production of Théâtre du Phare. Presented in association with The New Victory Theater.

About Olivier Letellier
Trained at the École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq, Olivier Letellier discovered storytelling through Gigi Bigot, and subsequently worked under Abbi Patrix, Pépito Matéo, and Muriel Block. In 2004, he acted in his first play, L’Homme de fer, a work for young audiences based on a Grimm fairytale, performed with his company, Théâtre du Phare. In 2007 he created and performed in La Mort du roi Tsongor, based on the novel by Laurent Gaudé. In 2009, Letellier staged Oh Boy!, adapted from the novel by Marie-Aude Murail, which won a Young Audiences Molière award in 2010. In 2014, he initiated the Playwriting for Young Audiences project in collaboration with the authors Sylvain Levey, Magali Mougel and Catherine Verlaguet, which led to three new plays in the 2015-2016 season: Maintenant que je sais (Now that I know), Je ne veux plus (I No Longer Want To), Me taire (Be Silent). Olivier Letellier is an Associated Artist with Théâtre National de Chaillot, Paris.

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CIRCA: Carnival of the Animals (US Premiere)

Presented by BAMkids

A production by Circa and QPAC’s Out of the Box Festival

Created by Yaron Lifschitz and the Circa Ensemble 

Saturday, April 2 & Sunday, April 3 at 11am & 2pm

BAM Fisher, 321 Ashland Place (between Lafayette Avenue and Hanson Place), Brooklyn, NYC

$24

Ages 3 and up

A menagerie of Australia’s most talented acrobats transforms into elephants, kangaroos, swans, and other creatures. Circa, the premier circus-theater ensemble from down under, will whisk you away on a thrilling circus escapade inspired by Camille Saint-Saëns’ delightful salute to feathers, furs, and fins.

About Circa

From Brisbane, Australia comes a bold new vision of contemporary circus. A blending of bodies, light, sound, and skills. A place where acrobatics and movement meld into a seamless whole. A celebration of the expressive possibilities of the human body at its extremes. Since 2006 Circa has toured to 32 countries across six continents. Critics have raved about its shows calling the work “stunning…exquisite… heart-stopping” and “electrically charged.”

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DUO1804 FEATURING DANIEL BERNARD ROUMAIN (DBR) & DJ VAL-INC: Orchestra for Life (US Premiere)

Saturday, April 2 at 7pm

FIAF, Florence Gould Hall, 55 East 59th Street, (between Park and Madison Avenue)

$20 General, $15 FIAF Members

Ages 5 and up

Versed in hip hop, rock, electronic and classical music, “about as omnivorous as a contemporary artist gets” (New York Times), composer/violinist Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR) and Afro-Electronica musician DJ Val-Inc, together known as DUO1804, create an immersive and interactive experience with the audience in the celebratory, exclamatory Orchestra for Life. Created together with a public of all ages, this concert-performance redefines the audience experience with electrifying energy, inviting kids and parents to move and sing along with the music.

Orchestra for Life will be preceded by an interactive workshop at FIAF on the morning of April 2. See Artist Workshops below for details.

About Daniel Bernard Roumain

Daniel Bernard Roumain’s acclaimed work, as a composer and performer, spans more than two decades and has been commissioned by venerable artists and institutions worldwide. “About as omnivorous as a contemporary artist gets” (The New York Times), Roumain is perhaps the only composer whose collaborations traverse the worlds of Philip Glass, Bill T. Jones, Savion Glover and Lady Gaga. Known for his signature violin sounds infused with a myriad of electronic and urban music influences, Roumain takes his genre-bending music beyond the proscenium. Roumain made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2000 with the American Composers Orchestra performing his Harlem Essay for Orchestra, a Whitaker commission. He went on to compose works for the Boston Pops Orchestra; Carnegie Hall; the Library of Congress; the Stuttgart Symphony, and myriad others.

About DJ Val-Inc

DJ Val-Inc (Val Jeanty) is a Haitian-born composer, percussionist and turntablist, who uses technology to lead listeners into her dream-like expressionism of Afro-Creole and “Afro-Electronica®” compositions. Her works invite the World of the unseen as she incorporates her African Haitian Musical traditions into the present and beyond, combining acoustics with electronics, and the archaic with the post-modern.

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WYLIE DUFRESNE: Cool Cooking with Wylie Dufresne: The Magic of Liquid Nitrogen
Saturday, April 2 at 11am

Museum of Food + Drink Lab, 62 Bayard Street (between Lorimer and Leonard Street), Brooklyn, NYC

$15

Ages 7 to 9

One of New York’s most innovative chefs leads a fun hands-on workshop. What is flavor and how can you make it? Kids will find out in an interactive workshop led by award-winning restauranteur Wylie Dufresne at the new Museum of Food + Drink!

About Wylie Dufresne

After studying philosophy in college, Wylie enrolled at the French Culinary Institute in New York and was employed at Jo Jo’s from 1994 to 1997. He was hired to work on the opening of Restaurant Jean Georges, eventually becoming the sous chef. In 1998 Dufresne was hired as Chef de Cuisine at Vongerichten’s Prime in The Bellagio, Las Vegas. In 1999 he became the first chef at 71 Clinton Fresh Food, a 30-seat restaurant on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Dufresne opened wd~50 (named for the chef’s initials and the street address) in April of 2003, on Clinton Street on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. His partners in the venture are Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten and restaurateur Phil Suarez.

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IONNA VAUTRIN: Le bestiaire

Saturdays, March 12 and April 2 at 3:30pm
FIAF; Tinker Auditorium, 55 East 59th Street, (between Park and Madison Avenue)

$15 General; $10 FIAF Members

Ages 3–10

Using the creatures in the Le bestiaire exhibition as inspiration, these workshops encourage children to imagine their own creature on a blank costume. Devised by graphic designer Amélie Doistau and illustrator Tomoë Sugira, this design laboratory is inspired by the forms, colors, and patterns of existing animals. Once all the animal reveries are down on paper, the carnival can begin. The beasts are unleashed! They roar, sing, meow, growl… Fly, swim, run, jump, and pounce.

Workshops led by Amélie Gaulier-Brody

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DUO1804 FEATURING DANIEL BERNARD ROUMAIN (DBR) & DJ VAL-INC: Orchestra for Life Saturday, April 2 at 11am
FIAF; Tinker Auditorium, 55 East 59th Street, (between Park and Madison Avenue)

$15 General; $10 FIAF Members

Ages 5 and up

Haitian-American composer/musician Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR) and Afro-Electronica musician DJ Val-Inc, together known as DUO1804, lead an interactive workshop as participants learn about the tools and constructs of creating music and sound—in a contemporary fashion—using the body, the voice, acoustic, and electronic instruments to express themselves.

Workshop attendees can redeem their tickets for FREE entry to the evening concert!

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About FIAF

The leading French language and cultural center in the United States, the French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF) is dedicated to innovative and unique programming in education and the arts, all exploring the evolving diversity and richness of French cultures. www.fiaf.org

About the Cultural Services of the French Embassy

The Cultural Services of the French Embassy promotes the best of French arts and education across the US and builds partnerships between artists, institutions and universities on both sides of the Atlantic. In New York, through its bookshop Albertine, it fosters French-American exchange around literature and the arts. www.frenchculture.org

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