WOMAD

La Compagnie des Quidams

From France

Draped in white clothes, Quidams’ long white willowy figures advance from the shadows. Seeming to materialise as if out of nowhere, they speak in the language of silences and slow gestures. They tentatively approach, then as quickly retreat until finally inviting you to follow them. Step by step the five characters are transformed into voluminous illuminations, four metres in height. Half-human and half-celestial they are deformed yet at the same time majestic, clumsy and ethereal as if hailing from another planet…Since La Compagnie des Quidams’ creation in 1997, the hugely acclaimed outdoor performance company and its show Herbert’s Dream has appeared more than 400 times in Europe and all over the world. They performed at the World Cup in France in 1998 and at festivals in Edinburgh, New Caledonia, Spain, Switzerland and Holland.