Details

African and European dance styles meet, converse and combine in this outstanding piece. Musicians perform cora, djemba and flute and traditional Sahelian music, which colours the stark scene, dominated by the pyramid of a high stepladder. Percussion is created by the bodies of the dancers; they shake their hands so that their fingers slap together, hit their faces against their shoulders, smack their mouths till they pop, stamp and hit the ground with their bodies. Le Siecle des Fous is about a century of war and the effort to speak through the body perfectly evokes the constant struggle between despair and hope for Africa. The two performers embrace this struggle with all its tenderness, companionship, pathos and ugly tragedy. Dance in The Pit Theatre for the first time provides a rare opportunity to feel the strength of these formidable dancers close up. An intense and deeply moving piece which comes straight from the heart.

Creatives/Company

Choreographer: Salia Sanou