Cecilia Bengolea was born in Argentina. She studied at the University of History of Art in Buenos Aires from 1998-2001. In 2001 she moved to Paris. Since then, she has produced her work in European venues and festivals. In 2004, she followed ex.e.r.ce., Mathilde Monnier’s research program in Montpellier. Bengolea has collaborated with Joao Fiadeiro, Claudia Triozzi, Edouard Levé, Mark Tompkins, Yves-Nöel Genod, Joris Lacoste, Alice Chauchat, Alain Buffard and Mathilde Monnier.

François Chaignaud graduated from the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse (CNSM) in Paris in 2002. Since then he has collaborated as a dancer with choreographers such as Boris Charmatz, Emmanuelle Huynh, Gilles Jobin, Tiago Guedes, Alain Buffard. Since 2004 he has shown several performances and concerts on stages in France and Europe. He is involved in many collaborations, a.o. with Swiss artist Marie Caroline Hominal, with French model Benjamin Dukhan or with American legendary drag queen Rumi Missabu from the Cockettes. In addition, he has recently published a book about French early feminism (»L’Affaire Berger-Levrault – les féminismes à l’épreuve«, Rennes 2009). Since 2005, François Chaignaud has been collaborating with Cecilia Bengolea. They created the pieces »Pâquerette« (2005-2008), »Sylphides« (2009), »Castor & Pollux« (2010), »Free Dance« (2010, based on choreographies by François Malkovsky as conveyed by Suzanne Bodak). Their new piece »altered natives’ Say Yes to Another Excess — TWERK« will premiere in September at the Biennale de la danse de Lyon.

Trajal Harrell is a dancer-choreographer based in New York City. His choreographic works have been seen at The New Museum, Danspace Project, Crossing the Line Festival 2009, Dance Theater Workshop, The Kitchen, and PS 122 in NYC as well as The Lotus House Heart Happening/Margulies Art Warehouse in Miami and Art Basel-Miami Beach. Internationally, his work has been seen in the Netherlands, France, Germany, Croatia and Mexico. Two of his four full length works, »Quartet for the End of Time« (2008) and »Twenty Looks or Paris is Burning at The Judson Church (S)« (2009), were chosen by TimeOut-NY Magazine as two of the best dances of the respective year. The latter recently toured to Working Title Festival (Brussels, Belgium), Festival Artdanthé (Vanves, France), ICA Boston and Festival Rencontres chorégraphiques in Paris.

Marlene Monteiro Freitas was born in Cabo Verde, where she was member and co-founder of the dance group Compass and collaborated with the musician Vasco Martins. After her dance studies at P.A.R.T.S. (Brussels), at E.S.D. and at Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian (Lisbon), she developed a dance project with the community of Cova da Moura (Lisbon) under the idea »we will not have dance classes, we will rehearse«. She regularly works with a.o. Emmanuelle Huynh, Loic Touzé, Tânia Carvalho and Boris Charmatz. She is a member of the collective Bomba Suicida, based in Lisbon.