François-Eloi Lavignac
Fifth position
Huggy Bears Days
How far are we willing to go for success? Ballet as a personal way of tackling classic dance is the subject of François-Eloi Lavignac’s Fifth position – an autofictional, subversive devotion as a tragic ballet love story.
This one certain way of crossing one’s legs, taking advantage of the outward turn and fixing one’s legs to the ground – only in this manner of permanent rotation does the language of ballet come to life. Somewhat paradoxically, it is impossible to achieve the perfect Fifth position that lends former Vienna State Ballet member François-Eloi Lavignac’s solo its title. The piece combines ambition, craving and sexuality in a type of fight. Most narrative ballets tell a tragic love story and so does this one: “Fifth position explores what lies between discipline the pursuit of success and the question of how far I am willing to go for it,” says the French-born choreographer/performer. “It’s an autofictional solo, in which I allow myself to live out fantasies such as sleeping with the boss to be successful, becoming a star, being the most wanted, being the best.” Fifth position thus becomes a personal test in self-perception, the clumsy voice of a sex object that was never supposed to speak at all.
François-Eloi Lavignac is a French choreographer/dancer born in Limoges and raised in Brive-la-Gaillarde. At the age of 15, he moved to Paris to study at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Danse de Paris. He later finished his training at English National Ballet School in London. His professional ballet career began in 2013 at the Australian Ballet, where he rose to the rank of Coryphée, before he became a member of the Vienna State Ballet as a demi-soloist from 2020 to 2025. Currently, François-Eloi Lavignac works in Vienna as a freelance artist. As a choreographer and a dancer he has created pieces for choreographic platforms of both the Australian Ballet and the Vienna State Ballet, proving his ability to combine basics of classic ballet with contemporary storytelling. In 2024, he participated in the ImPulsTanz festival’s ATLAS programme and intensified his research at the intersection of his performance career and his creative practice, which inspired his decision to attend the Huggy Bears programme in Vienna in 2025. François-Eloi Lavignac holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree from Middlesex University, London.
About Bears in the Park and the Huggy Bears Supporting Programme
Since 2016, Huggy Bears has been a pillar of innovative performance art, supporting emerging artists in Vienna. Each year, the supporting programme provides three or four individuals or collectives with comprehensive support in areas from production to administration, equipment, and dramaturgy. In a series of different presentation formats as well as regular feedback sessions within the group, the artists’ projects develop into very special pieces. At the end of the nine-month programme, the mentees get to present their performance projects for the first time on a big stage in Vienna. In 2025, the Huggy Bears Days will be held as a co-operation between brut Wien and WUK performing arts. Additionally, this year the Huggy Bears artists have been supported through a project fund by the Bundesministerium für Wohnen, Kunst, Kultur, Medien und Sport (BMWKMS). The programme is operated by the initiative Bears in the Park run by Philippe Riéra and Charlotte Bastam and supported by City of Vienna’s Department of Cultural Affairs (MA7). The initiative is dedicated to supporting the Vienna performance scene and helping it grow. To foster this goal, the Huggy Bears are offered not only reliable advisors but also rehearsal spaces. Each autumn, Bears in the Park releases an open call for artists to submit their project proposals for the following year. bearsinthepark.org @bearsinthe.park
Pressestimmen
‘Without falling into sentimentality, it is a tragic reflection on youthful life, on dreams, career aspirations, expectations and constant disappointments of a perfectly trained ballerino caught between genders. Helpless in his search for meaning, repeatedly hiding in shame, then hopefully devoting himself to the prescribed attitudes and fifth position in the ballet studio. Portrayed in a highly compelling manner, accompanied only by sparse musical interludes. Lavignac shows the true face of today’s cultural scene with all the facets of human problems.’
Meinhard Rüdenauer (onlinemerker.com)
Credits
Concept & performance François-Eloi Lavignac Sound designer / composer Giorgio Fourés
A co-production by Huggy Bears, brut Wien and WUK performing arts.
Dates & Tickets
Combined ticket
Combined tickets are available for the performances of Fifth Position by François-Eloi Lavignac and PIERRE by Laureen Drexler & Giorgia Scisciola on 12.11., 13.11. and 14.11. at studio brut: €30 / €22 / €18.
Combined ticket for 12.11.
Combined ticket for 13.11.
Combined ticket for 14.11.
November 2025
Sold out
€22 / €18 / €14 * Combined ticket with PIERRE by Laureen Drexler & Giorgia Scisciola available
€22 / €18 / €14 *
studio brut
Zieglergasse 25, 1070 Wien
not accessible
Info
Content notes
The performance uses loud sound. The performance addresses explicit content, uses strong language and includes depictions of sexual violence. Recommended from the age of 18 years.
Downloads
Abendprogramm_Fifth_position_PIERRE (PDF)
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Abendprogramm zu "Fifth position" von François-Eloi Lavignac & "PIERRE" von Laureen Drexler & Giorgia Scisciola
