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.

Production: Compagnie Zimarèl / Léo Lérus

Choreography: Léo Lérus in collaboration with the performers

Piece for 9 performers: Marie Albert, Arnaud Bacharach, Robert Cornejo, Nanglaine Gomis, Johana Maledon, Andréa Moufounia

Assistant Choreographer: Asha Thomas

Musical Concept: Léo Lérus

Music Composition and Interactive Sound Design: Denis Guivar’ch

Slam / Texts: Dory Selesprika

Lighting Design and Technical Direction: Chloé Bouju

Costumes: Bénédicte Blaison

Coproduction

Confirmed
Chaillot – Théâtre National de la Danse / La Filature – National Stage of Mulhouse / Malakoff National Stage – Théâtre 71 / Théâtre Molière Sète – Archipel de Thau National Stage / L’Artchipel – National Stage of Guadeloupe / CCN Ballet of the Opéra National du Rhin / CCNO – directed by Collectif ÈS (Orléans) / LE BLOCK – CCN Rillieux-la-Pape / La Briqueterie – CDCN Val-de-Marne / CNDC – Angers / Maison de la Danse – Lyon / Espace 1789

Ongoing discussions
Comédie de Clermont – National Stage / Mixt – Nantes / Théâtre de Liège

Partners

Confirmed
DAC Guadeloupe

Under application
Regional Council of Guadeloupe / Departmental Council of Guadeloupe / Fund for Artistic and Cultural Exchange (FEAC) / SPEDIDAM / ADAMI / Caisse des Dépôts / Fonds Haplotès / Fondation Hermès / Fondation Van Cleef & Arpels