SABAIDEE,

It is a great pleasure to meet you in Vientiane for this 15th edition of FANG MAE KHONG International Dance Festival (FMK), where artists from Europe, Asia, and Canada will share their artistic universe with us.

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This year, we welcome the dancers of the DEFAKTO company of Feyzin from France, and its choreographer Aurélien Kairo, long-time companion, who returns for the 4th time with a new burlesque hip-hop duo; the BODYBUILDERS company and its choreographer Rafael Alvarez, from Portugal, who returns for the 3rd time with a meditative scenography; the GOBLIN PARTY company from South Korea, with whom a Lao-Korean choreographic collaboration had been produced in 2019, returns with a show choreographed by Jin ho Lim and Kyung min Ji, selected at the New Dance for Asia (NDA) festival 2022 in Deagu City; and for the first time, 3 companies from Taiwan, selected at the WANT TO DANCE Festival in 2024 in Taipei, will present their show to us: a dancer and circus artist, Ambrose Hu, will express his love for acrobatics, the duo of D_ANTIDOTE PRODUCTION will take us into a universe of cubic play, choreographed by Chuang Po-Hsiang, while the choreographer Yang Jimmin, from the CHUN DANCE company will immerse us in the intimate relationship between two sisters.

Also, the Lao-Canadian dancer, Derek Souvannavong, will perform his solo co-choreographed with Peter Chin, weaving the link between Laos and Canada.

 

As always, an important place is dedicated to young Laotian talents. Thus, the festival supports the productions of 5 dancers from Vientiane, nicknamed Joom, Nunu, Uko, Leon, and Nho, who will present their solo throughout the program. And of course, the dancer choreographer Noutnapha Soydala "Nout" from the FANGLAO company in Vientiane will present her new solo which goes back in time to a distant Laos, previewed at the Indonesian Dance Festival last November. Nout, who we will also find in a duet co-written and performed with emblematic Canadian Thai Khon dancer Benjamin Tardif, a performance full of spiritual and physical connections.

The "Ciné-Danse" evening is making a comeback at the French Institute of Vientiane in the program, with the documentary that marked the symbiosis between urban/crump dance and the Paris National Opera, "Indes Galantes", by Philippe Béziat. There will also be dance workshops provided by the guest artists, a morning show at the village of Ban Houa-Xieng, where students of the primary school will perform too. And like last year, the German Embassy in Vientiane opens its doors to us for the opening night of this 15th edition of the festival on December 10th, with for the first time, the traditional Lao dance troupe HOME OF LAO ARTS, led by the talented Lao dancer "Bombee".

We will also have the great pleasure of welcoming curators from Taiwan, Hong Kong, Poland, and France.
Finally, I would like to thank our partners, and in particular the Embassy of Luxembourg and the Embassy of Germany who have doubled their financial support this year, as well as our historical partners the French Institute of Laos, and the SDC of Switzerland.

The entire festival team joins me in wishing you a wonderful 15th edition of the FMK festival !

SOKDEE!