For eight years, this festival provided a platform for numerous artists to challenge and merge their artistic expressions through performances held across Bayonne, Anglet, and Biarritz. It brought together a wide range of disciplines, including theater, cinema, music, dance, photography, poetry, painting, and visual arts. These performances resonated in diverse locations and offered festival-goers the chance to experience and share artists' concerns in playful and unconventional ways.

As part of our programming, we aimed to bring some performances to urban priority neighborhoods, particularly the Hauts de Sainte-Croix district in Bayonne. Moreover, in our ongoing effort to foster engagement and cultural exchange, we felt it essential to involve the local population in the festival. To achieve this, we collaborated with local socio-educational organizations and schools, building outreach initiatives together. Many young people attended performances or exhibitions and had the opportunity to meet the festival’s artists.

The festival continued to grow each year, attracting an ever-increasing audience. We received numerous testimonials from artists who were pleasantly surprised by the space provided for artistic exchange—a place where they could meet fellow artists, share a moment of collective creation, and engage with the public in an unprecedented way.

In 2007, we invited Olivier de Sagazan as an associate artist, and he delivered an outstanding program. The following year, the experience continued with pianist Antoine Bataille. We also invited Olivier de Sagazan to create a retrospective exhibition of his work, featuring a temporary stage where live performances took place within the exhibition space. From that point on, we integrated artist exhibitions into our annual programming. In 2012, we showcased the work of Anne Bothuon, and in 2013, Pippo Delbono embraced the new challenge of curating an exhibition—an entirely novel experience for him.

The internationally renowned performer Yann Marussich participated for two consecutive years, presenting one of his performances and leading a conference on his approach to performance art. This artistic and human exchange led to the creation of the book Notes d’inemploi de la performance, published by our company in 2012.

Each edition of the festival offered audiences unique experiences, featuring multidisciplinary contemporary creations and direct interactions with the artists. Unexpected encounters took place between local and international performers—such as the Basque txalapartistes of Ttipia Ta Txomin and buto dancer Gyuhei Zaitsu—blending two distinct traditions. These artistic meetings often inspired further collaborations, leading to performances beyond the festival.

We also organized free weekend workshops with invited performers, culminating in a public showcase. The festival reached beyond traditional theater spaces, activating the streets, shops, storefronts, libraries, and museums to engage audiences in new and immersive ways.

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You can revisit past festival editions through photos, videos, press articles, and more by visiting the Festival Rencontres Improbables section on our website:
🌍 www.lezardsquibougent.com / Festival Rencontres Improbables

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