The story begins a Friday night in the French countryside; Simon Cheype, Antoine Cousty and Hugo Moriceau (lawn jugglers) share a common vision and grow up together in the street arts, with the company les Enfants Terribles.

They move on to the Center of Circus Arts, Balthazar in Montpellier,where they are introduced to acrobatics and new acolytes: Jacob Auzanneau, a star of the French region Gers, a tumbler of the Pop Circus school in Auch, and Florian Bessin, a young student in architecture and a thrill seeker. Together, they discover the Korean teeterboard and begin to work as a group. They move on to the capital and study at the French shool of circus arts in Rosny sous Bois (ENACR). There, they succumb to the charm of a young Catalan prodigy, a star of the Rogelio Rivel in Barcelona: Lluna Pi, the daughter of Victor Pi.

The group is henceforth wholemeal.
Alongside their studies, they create their own company La Contrebande and produce several shows: La coche cavale (2012), œuf dur et demi molle (2013), pic nic (2014). They go on with their studies, Jacob at the école supérieure d’art dramatique (ESAD) and the others at the French center of circus arts in Chalons en Champagne (CNAC).

In their last year of studies, the members of La Contrebande work on a personal project: Bal Trap. Initially, the show was produced as part of their training at the CNAC and was performed at the échappées, a presentation of the works of the students. This 30-minute show was performed at several festivals (Tant qu’il y aura des Mouettes, Furies, Solstice in Antony…) and there are plans to tour in 2016 and 2017 parallel to residencies for the set up of a new production in October 2017.

Bal Trap it's a 30 minute, live game.
Bal Trap it's 6 acrobats on the game field playing with what surrounds them. Often juggling with risk. 
Bal Trap it's a game whose rules are set by the players based on propulsions, projections and landings. 
Bal Trap it's playing with danger. It's trusting in the group, being attentive to each other. 
Bal Trap it's a united group of individuals with different personalities. It's not a competition. 
Bal Trap it's crossing the finishing line together. 
Bal Trap was not created from characters, the script flows from the action. The individuals act out scenes induced by the apparatus with sincerity. What happens around the teeterboard is just as important as what happens on it. 
Bal Trap it's a performance based on a team speciality. 
Bal Trap it's being part of a group, being seen as an individual, enhancing the others, finding one's place. 
Bal Trap it's also someone who doesn't jump. Exclusion, solitude within the group. 
Bal Trap it's benevolence for each other in a context of danger. A contrast between permanent risk and regard for each other. 
Bal Trap like a seedy, local dance with fireworks, a precision performance based on throws and propulsion. Conceived of as a ballet of bodies and sharp objects. A catching of balls and a burst of projectiles. 
Bal Trap, a game, dare you or dare you not ?
SUITABLE FOR ALL