Jérôme Brabant works on the everyday gestures of the “tisanèr” for his solo piece, Impair. In Reunionese Creole, “tisanèr” means a medicinal healer. This is someone people consult, who is recommended for his healing powers with plants, and who played an important role in Reunionese society at the beginning of the 20th century. The choreographer researched into his genealogy to find his ancestors, who produced medicinal concoctions to help combat typhoid.

The set is defined by a triangle, a balanced shape, involving an odd number, providing a vanishing point at the darkened body, “boukané”. The predominance of black and the presence of cymbals embodies the place where the magical cure is prepared: the kitchen with the blackened cooking pots of the tisanèr.

His body is completely covered in black paint with glitter highlights. This decoration emphasises the scenic importance of his bare hands and feet in the dark of the stage. His hands explore gestures based on action verbs: gathering, pressing, separating, lifting. The choreographer attaches this search to the entire body, like a sphere exploring its horizontality by making supple, rounded rotations. In a slow and fluid movement, like setting infinity in motion, a liquid comes to the boil in a measured and bewitching gesture, in order to obtain the desired texture. 

The skills of the “tisanèr” are passed from generation to generation and they are an oral tradition. The choreographer transposes this important place of orality in Reunion society through the instant composition of the singer who improvises a dull clamour by modulating his voice. The hard rock sounds of the percussion reflect back the ceremonious and occult tendencies of healing practices as if they were incantations. 

Source : Lalanbik

Jérôme Brabant is a choreographer, born in 1973 at Saint-Pierre in Reunion Island. He studied theatre at Paris 8 University and the Mimodrame Marcel Marceau School. In 2001 he joined the Toulouse/Midi-Pyrenées Choreographic Development Centre to follow the “Extensions” course and started his career as a dancer-performer for several companies: Marco Berrettini’s *Melk Prod, the Samuel Mathieu company, the Patricia Ferrara company/Unber-Humber Group.

Jérôme Brabant started working as a choreographer from 2002, when he founded the UND und ballet with Marion Muzac. He created his first pieces: Roomy Dancing in 2002, Gala in 2003 and Pavilion in 2004.

In 2011 he founded his Octogonale Company on Reunion Island. His return to the island was the opportunity for him to search for a choreography that focused on the island’s identity. He created his first solo, Heimat, “the country you carry within you”.

In 2014, he produced his second solo performance called Impair, which was inspired by the craft of his grandparents, who were well-known for their knowledge of medicinal plants and magnetic healing.

In 2015, Jérôme Brabant collaborated with New Gravity, a group of free runners, and with them he created the piece Emergency.

In 2016, he researched exoticism with Maud Pizon and created A Taste of Ted, a group of solos adapted from original creations by Ted Shawn.

Source : Lalanbik’s website

More information : https://www.lalanbik.org/ 

Lalanbik was founded in 2014, in Reunion Island. It contributes to the  valorization of actors and choreographics writings of Indian Ocean  territories. Lalanbik implement online ressources tools : the first is  its website, concerning the Indian Ocean Dance news, and the other one  is its online video library, which brings contents about contemporary  and traditional dance writings. Lalanbik works in partnership to lead  its actions in favor of the widening of publics with : libraries,  theatres, dance schools, schools and higher education.

Source : Lalanbik's website

More information : www.lalanbik.org/