Témoin – Saïdo Lehlouh
In cooperation with the TNB – Théâtre National de Bretagne
Being a witness means being present to what is happening, and holding onto the memory of something to pass it on to those who weren’t there.
Twenty self-taught dancers occupy the stage, all of them carrying a history of hip hop dance in France, its lineages and its silent transmissions. Never told directly, this history is perceived in the bodies, in the way they look at each other, respond to each other and occupy space together. Twenty bodies that hold together without dissolving, assert themselves without crushing one another, find the instant when something is born between them. A practice of the threshold, between solo and collective, between what one carries and what one shares.
This oscillation between individual presence and group awareness lies at the heart of the improvisation practice as Saïdo Lehlouh conceives it: a constant listening to what is happening around oneself, as much as to what is happening within. The soundtrack works in the same direction: strong American and French hip hop references, run through with an original creation by Mackenzy Bergile. The music doesn’t accompany the dance: it challenges it, situates it and gives it a genealogy.
By watching, the audience in turn becomes a witness. Not in the same way: they probably share neither the history nor the practice. But they are there, present in that exact moment. The boundary between stage and seats remains, and yet something passes through it.
Choreography: Saïdo Lehlouh · Assistant choreographers: Mehdi Baki, Evan Greenaway, Karim Khouader aka Karim KH · Performance: Ndoho Ange, Mehdi Baki, Audric Chauvin, Suzanne Degennaro, Marina de Remedios, Jerson Diasonama, Johanna Faye, Evan Greenaway, Théodora Guermonprez, Linda Hayford, Marvin Kemat aka Zulu, Karim Khouader aka Karim KH, Odile Lacides, Émilie Ouedraogo Spencer aka Wounded, Filipe Francisco Pereira Silva, Mathias Rassin aka Thias, Mattéo Raoelison aka Rao, Raphaël Stora, Clarisse Tognella, Lorenzo “Sweet” Vayssière · Lighting: Tom Visser · Music: Mackenzy Bergile (composer), Raphaël Henard (musical dramaturg) · Styling: Johanna Faye · Costumes: Lydie Tarragon · Lighting operation: Gwendal Malard, Sarah Eger · Sound operation: Hugo Sempé, Adrien Kanter, Sydney Valette · Production director: Céline Gallet · Touring manager: Marion Roger · Production assistants: Jahlys Denis, Seynabou Diaw
A creation by Cie Black Sheep · Production: FAIR-E / CCN de Rennes et de Bretagne. An association funded by the Ministry of Culture (Direction régionale des Affaires culturelles / Bretagne), the City of Rennes, the Région Bretagne and the Département d’Ille-et-Vilaine.
Coproduction: Théâtre de la Ville – Sarah Bernhardt (Paris) · Théâtre National de Bretagne (Rennes) · Maison de la Danse (Lyon) · Le Cratère, scène nationale d’Alès · Charleroi Danse, centre chorégraphique de Wallonie (Brussels) · Château Rouge (Annemasse) · tanzhaus nrw (Düsseldorf).
Residency hosting: Théâtre de la Ville – Sarah Bernhardt (Paris) – Espace Cardin · Théâtre national de Bretagne – salle Gabily (Rennes) · CCN de Rennes et de Bretagne. Project labelled by Paris 2024 as part of the Cultural Olympiad.
Premiered on 1 February 2024 at the Théâtre National de Bretagne, Rennes.
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