François-Eloi Lavignac – Fifth Position

Discipline, rigour, control, craving and vulnerability: François-Eloi Lavignac’s solo performance Fifth Position tackles classical ballet, institutional power and the dynamics of sexuality. Based on personal experiences and using movement and language, the French dancer/choreographer draws parallels between the structures within the ballet industry and the pressure society places on matters regarding body and identity.

François-Eloi Lavignac is a choreographer and a performer. He went to Paris at 15 years of age, to train at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Danse, but later finished his studies at the English National Ballet School in London. His professional ballet career began in 2013 with the Australian Ballet; in 2020, he joined the Vienna State Ballet as a demi-soloist. In 2024, François-EloiLavignac attended the ImPulsTanz festivals ATLAS programme and intensified his research activity at the intersection between his performance career and his creative practice.

Flora Renhardt & Maria Melotti – sk8er grrrl

Skateboarding, dancing, balancing, bouncing, breaking clichés, trying movements: sk8er grrrl identifies as a tribute to FLINTA* in the skating scene. Exhibiting some real punk attitude and a lot of DIY, Flora Renhardt and Maria Melotti will turn the Bears in the Park Art Place into a skatepark. They will be assembling, screwing, constructing and deconstructing. On the trail of the feminist Riot Grrrls movement, the two artists find their freedom in skating, creating a space for aggression and friction as well as for softness.

Maria Melotti and Flora Renhardt’s choreography combines dance and skating, the two of which, as it turns out, are surprisingly similar. sk8er grrrl marks their first collaboration.

Maria Melotti finished her studies of transmedia art at the University of Applied Art Vienna and works internationally as a comic book artist and a performer.

Flora Renhardt studied dance at the Music and Arts University of the City of Vienna as well as in Copenhagen. She also holds a degree in art history.

Huggy Bears stands for innovative performance art by young, emerging artists based in Vienna. A comprehensive support programme, it helps three to four individuals or collectives each year to find their artistic paths. Services range from support in production and administration to technical and dramaturgical advice all the way to finding opportunities to show the work in public and monthly feedback sessions within the group. It is in this setting that the young talents develop their projects into extraordinary stage pieces. Their premieres represent the conclusion of the support programme. This year, the Huggy Bear Days are organised in co-operation with brut Wien and WUK performing arts.

Behind the programme stands Bears in the Park, one of the City of Vienna’s cultural anchor centres. It is based in the 11^th district and run by Philippe Riéra and Charlotte Bastam. By supporting the independent performance scene with its extraordinary level of commitment, Bears in the Park has become an essential space in Vienna to work, mingle and exchange creative ideas. In addition to the Huggy Bears programme, the initiative provides free-of-charge rehearsal spaces within their dance studios and awards residencies for their sound studio as well as a studio for visual artists. bearsinthepark.org