On October 6th, 1999, Mathilde Hardel entered this world. The birth went well; it was only a few years later that complications began. She started speaking, but could not pronounce the letter “L.” As a result, Mathi(l)de sounded a bit foolish (a family name on her grandmother’s side, incidentally).
Fortunately, a speech therapist stepped in and corrected this first “small” difficulty. But that was not the end: dyslexia and dysorthographia followed. Little Mathi(l)de therefore remained a regular patient of speech therapy for a good fifteen years. Meanwhile, at school, things were—let’s say—complicated.
Her mother had the wise idea of guiding her toward something that might suit her energy and dexterity, so she began gymnastics early on to help rebuild confidence.
One day, her mother asked the famous question: “What do you want to do with your life?” As a response, she mumbled: “Circus.” Why? Nobody really knows, but it sounded better than “nothing.” By a cosmic alignment or sheer coincidence, a family member knew the artistic director of the Bouglione circus, Frédérique Colnot. And so, at 17, she packed her bags for Le Mans to join a circus sport-studies program, then continued her journey at ENACR.
Little by little, a glimmer of hope appeared regarding her future. But obstacles remained: at Rosny, she met Shay, a base partner. The catch? Shay speaks Hebrew and English; Mathi(l)de speaks only French. Their communication was, let’s say, complicated.
After three years at ENACR, with onomatopoeia as her first foreign language, the duo joined CNAC. There, they refined their practice and worked on what distinguished them: their small difference in height and weight. This unexpected “advantage” became the core of their artistic research. Moreover, given their shared past, a particular interest in language developed, leading them to experiment with their own physical language.
The end of their academic years is approaching, and it will finally allow Mathilde to break free.