Royal de luxe
Encyclopedia
Marionette
A marionette is a puppet controlled from above using wires or strings depending on regional variations. A marionette's puppeteer is called a manipulator. Marionettes are operated with the puppeteer hidden or revealed to an audience by using a vertical or horizontal control bar in different forms...
street theatre
Street theatre
Street theatre is a form of theatrical performance and presentation in outdoor public spaces without a specific paying audience. These spaces can be anywhere, including shopping centres, car parks, recreational reserves and street corners. They are especially seen in outdoor spaces where there are...
company. They were founded in 1979 by Jean Luc Courcoult. Based in Nantes
Nantes
Nantes is a city in western France, located on the Loire River, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the 6th largest in France, while its metropolitan area ranks 8th with over 800,000 inhabitants....
, the company has performed in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
, Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
.
Gigantic puppets
Many of their spectacles use gigantic puppets:| Title | Locations | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| The giant falls from the sky | ||
| The giant falls from the sky, last voyage | ||
| Return to Africa | ||
| The giraffe hunters | ||
| The Sultan's Elephant The Sultan's Elephant The Sultan's Elephant was a show created by the Royal de Luxe theatre company, involving a huge moving mechanical elephant, a giant marionette of a girl and other associated public art installations. In French it was called La visite du sultan des Indes sur son éléphant à voyager dans le temps... |
London London London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its... , May 2006 Antwerp, July 2006 |
A story about a time-travelling girl. Often called The Giant Little Girl on Internet-posted videos. |
| The Hidden Rhinoceros | ||
| The Giant of the Titanic | Nantes Nantes Nantes is a city in western France, located on the Loire River, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the 6th largest in France, while its metropolitan area ranks 8th with over 800,000 inhabitants.... , June 2009 |
Photoblog of the show |
| The Diver and the Giant Little Girl | Antwerp, August 2010 | |
| The Mexican Giant, the dog Xolo and the Little Indian Girl | Guadalajara Guadalajara Guadalajara may refer to:In Mexico:*Guadalajara, Jalisco, the capital of the state of Jalisco and second largest city in Mexico**Guadalajara Metropolitan Area*University of Guadalajara, a public university in Guadalajara, Jalisco... , November 2010 Nantes Nantes Nantes is a city in western France, located on the Loire River, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the 6th largest in France, while its metropolitan area ranks 8th with over 800,000 inhabitants.... , may 2011 |
Photoset of the show in Nantes |
Other works
- The true history of France
- Roman photo tournage
- The Peplum (with odorama)
- Revolt of the Mannequins . After Nantes in February 2008 and Antwerp, in July 2008, It was played in Berlin, in November 2008.
- La Machine
- They were also said to have made another giant, more lightweight elephant used in Take That Present: The Circus Live, atop which the four bandmembers performed 'The GardenThe Garden- Places :*Madison Square Garden, the arena of the New York Knicks basketball and New York Rangers ice hockey teams*The Garden, a school of philosophy founded by Epicurus c...
'. This elephant had to be made much more lightweight to be transported between venues.
See also
- La PrincesseLa PrincesseLa Princesse is a 15-metre mechanical spider designed and operated by French performance art company La Machine. The spider was showcased in Liverpool, England, as part of the 2008 European Capital of Culture celebrations, travelling around the city between 3-7 September. In 2009, it was on...
, a giant mechanical spider designed by the same man who designed the Sultan's Elephant but produced by La MachineLa Machine (production company)La Machine is a French production company based in Nantes, France, which is famous for La Princesse, a 50-foot mechanical spider constructed in Nantes, France.-Background:...
- a different performing arts company. - The Machines of the Isle of NantesMachines of the Isle of NantesThe Machines of the Isle of Nantes is an artistic, touristic and cultural project based in Nantes, France.-Background:...
, a tourist destination of artistic and cultural creations, also produced by La MachineLa Machine (production company)La Machine is a French production company based in Nantes, France, which is famous for La Princesse, a 50-foot mechanical spider constructed in Nantes, France.-Background:...
. - Les Balayeurs du désertLes Balayeurs du désertLes Balayeurs du désert are a French ambient post-rock band. The group is composed of Michel Augier , Fatoumata Diawara , Fred Tanari , Jean Michel Bourroux , Bruno Lerouzic , Gram Maby , Camilla Sagues and Marcela Paz .Les Balayeurs du désert have released three albums, and have also...
, an accompanying band who perform much of the music for productions run by the Royal de Luxe.
External links
- Les machines de l'Ile - Official website
- About Royal De Luxe (note that as of October, 2008, the site had no new updates since 2006)
- La Révolte des Mannequins ("Revolt of the Mannequins") Extensive photoblog of Royal de Luxe's show in Nantes, France, February 2008
- Comprehensive unofficial page (in French)
- I, for one, welcome the Giant French Rocket Girl and her Elephant of Royal Luxury! has a collection of links about the performance in Nantes
- The Sultan's Elephant in London
- Extracts from an interview with Jean Luc Courcoult by Jean-Christophe Planche
- The Sultan's Elephant in Le Havre on October 2006. Pictures and videos
- Photos and info, news, links etc. from Royal de Luxe events all over the world.