Cartes Blanches was created initially in 2016 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Compagnie Käfig and the production served as a heartfelt tribute to the dancers who have significantly contributed to the company’s illustrious history. Mourad Merzouki has crafted this performance to reflect on his journey and honor those who have shared it with him. Having this piece performed by Indian dancers for the first time definitely means opening a new chapter and sharing the very DNA of the company with the Indian audience. The show is set in a cozy living room with period furniture and the artists join one another on stage to relate an extraordinary adventure, through the memory of bodies and in total simplicity.

A major figure on the hip-hop scene since the early 1990s, Compagnie Käfig’s Artistic Director Mourad Merzouki works at the crossroads of many different disciplines: he adds circus, martial arts, fine arts, video and live music to his exploration of hip-hop dance. Without losing sight of the roots of hip-hop movement, of its social and geographical origins, this multidisciplinary approach opens new horizons and reveals original outlooks.

Since 1996, 31 creations have been performed in 700 cities and 65 countries. Compagnie Käfig has given more than 4,000 performances to over 2 million spectators. Each year the company delivers a hundred or so performances around the world pushing the boundaries of dance.

Prakriti Foundation was founded in Chennai in 1998 to host events enquiring into cultural heritage and inheritance in order to change and enlarge the cultural scene of Chennai. Since its creation, Prakriti has been a free space where scholars, researchers, artists, critics, poets and filmmakers could present their work to those who engage with it on serious terms. The Foundation organizes four festivals and events across various performing and non-performing art forms, among which are lecture demonstrations, poetry readings, film screenings, and intimate performances.

The French Institute in India is one of the major supporters of the Prakriti Excellence in Contemporary Dance Awards (PECDA), a national-level biennial award for contemporary dance (one-of-a-kind in South Asia). PECDA is a platform for Indian contemporary dance forms, exposing artists to a wider audience and network.

Recently, with Villa Swagatam, a network of artistic residencies initiated by IFI, Prakriti Foundation welcomes French practitioners to experience this vivid scene, and discover and engage with new, emerging forms of expression.