SIBYLLINE

SYNOPSIS

In Guadeloupe, Creole proverbs nourish conversations and minds through their evocative power and vivid imagery. They shape a sensitive way of inhabiting the world, privileging image and poetry.

For Léo Lérus, these proverbs form a living foundation, in constant transformation. Among them, “Pawòl anba fèy pa ka pèd” — words beneath the leaves are never lost — holds a particular place. The Guadeloupean choreographer values this saying for the sense of trust and continuity it conveys.

In Guadeloupe, where social, economic, and cultural realities are rapidly evolving, what is placed “beneath the leaves” shifts from one generation to another. Legacies do not disappear; they move, transform, and adapt to the present. It is within this dynamic that Sibylline, a choreographic creation for nine performers, takes shape, examining the transmission of memory and the ways identities are recomposed today.

The piece explores how a contemporary body, shaped by new social and global realities, appropriates a heritage that may seem distant and yet remains omnipresent. Between contemporary dance and Creole roots, the work immerses itself in a Caribbean musical landscape. Creole texts by Dory Sélèsprika intertwine with sound, becoming an essential component of the stage.

Through several archetypal figures drawn from Antillean society, Sibylline does not seek to reconstruct a past history, but rather to observe how these figures continue to inhabit bodies and imaginations. They become points of support and friction, onto which each performer projects their singularity, aspirations, and doubts.

Beneath the leaves, what emerges are not relics, but a field of possibilities charged with momentum.

Provisional cast & provisional co-production credits

Choreography Léo Lérus, in collaboration with the dancers
Piece for 9 performers: Arnaud Bacharach, Rosanne Briens, Robert Cornejo, Nangaline Gomis, Mason Kelly, Johana Malédon, Andréa Moufounda, Thaïmee Samut, Asha Thomas
Assistant choreographer Clémence Galliard
Musical concept Léo Lérus
Music composition and design of the interactive sound system Denis Guivarc’h
Slam / Texts Dory Sélèsprika
Lighting design, technical direction Chloé Bouju
General stage management Sébastien Marc
Costumes Bénédicte Blaison
Production Compagnie Zimarèl / Léo Lérus

Co-productions
CCN Ballet de l’Opéra national du Rhin / CCNO – direction Collectif ÈS | Orléans / Chaillot – Théâtre national de la Danse / CNDC – Angers / Espace 1789 / Lalanbik CDCN – Océan Indien – La Réunion / L’Artchipel, Scène nationale de la Guadeloupe / La Briqueterie CDCN du Val-de-Marne / La Filature, Scène nationale de Mulhouse / LE BLOCK • CCN de Rillieux-la-Pape / Maison de la danse, Lyon / Malakoff Scène nationale – Théâtre 71 / Théâtre Molière Sète – Scène Nationale Archipel de Thau / La Passerelle Scène nationale de Saint-Brieuc / Villa Albertine (New York, United States) – research residency 2026

Léo Lérus is an associate artist at Chaillot – Théâtre national de la Danse and at La Briqueterie CDCN du Val-de-Marne.
Compagnie Zimarèl / Léo Lérus is supported under a funding agreement by DAC Guadeloupe.
This project is supported by the Fund for Artistic and Cultural Exchanges for the Overseas Territories (FEAC), the Seine-Saint-Denis Departmental Council and the Caisse des Dépôts, principal patron.

Touring and development: La Magnanerie
Administration and production: Moka Production