With its trio of dancers from Reunion Island’s hip hop movement, Priyèr Si Priyèr follows on from the work begun with Reflex, around the notion of ritual. Priyèr Si Priyèr traces the path of the human being in his search for the sacred and the ritual as a collective practice creating social links between individuals.

The setting develops a symbolic approach. Everyday objects have their place on stage. As they are handled by the dancers this gradually creates symbolism where it did not exist before. The subdued lights transport the spectator into a muted universe.

Didier Boutiana transposes the “ritual” into 3 choreographed scenes. He takes his inspiration from the religious eclecticism in the territories of the Indian Ocean, he takes their symbols, then distorts them and redefines their uses through a ritual dance to which the spectators are invited. The transition from one stage to the next marks the crossing of a social and spiritual threshold.

As the dancers bring the objects, this marks the entrance into the ritual where each one comes with his own liabilities: and this helps create a sacred atmosphere. They advance into the ritual using the objects as markers carried as sacred symbols in the service of the dance. The dancers handle the stones carefully, as befits a sacred object.

The trio continue with a dance in unison. This is the start of the second phase of the ritual, where the dancers’ rich energy is brought into play. The body language of the dance examines the use of the hands, the first part of the body called on to make a gesture, assuming it has some sacred significance in the energy and the intention of the one carrying it out.

As the trio continue, the manifestation emerges of that which is not visible and despite the markers that the ritual codes offer, there remains an area of uncertainty around their actions. It leads to mental destruction which becomes apparent as they lose self-control. Physical destruction follows, violence inflicted on themselves or on others. The struggles that will set the trio against each other lead to material destruction: the sacred objects become objects of violence and are adulterated.

For the choreographer, the dancer experiences the sacred in practising his discipline. On stage, he is inhabited by something unknown, a desire to sublimate the gesture, which has something of the sacred within it, yet transcends it.

Source : Lalanbik

Didier Boutiana is director of Company Soul City since 2011.

2009 and again 2010, Didier is awarded with the title of Reunion’s best bboy. Since 2008, he has joined Réunion’s main hiphop and contemporary dance companies as a performer.

2011, he becomes Soul City’s choreographer and develops the performance Body of knowledge in partnership with the South African Dusi Dance Company.

His company work Reflex, created 2013, has been acclaimed by both, the audience and dance professionals.

In the year 2015, Didier Boutiana was invited to participate at the choreographic research program for the Indian Ocean, ECUMe, an initiative of TEAT Champ Fleuri, in partnership with CND Pantin, coordinated by Yuval Pick. In this frame, at CND, he participated at a training- and research residency with the dancers Bertwin D’Souza (India) and Anjara Rasamiarison (Madagaskar), and at the program “Camping” (with Bertwin D’Souza/India and Nadjani Bulin/La Réunion).

The same year, Didier created the trio work Priyèr’ Sï Priyèr’. 2017, he develops his first solo: KANYAR.

Didier Boutiana’s choreographic identity is based on the deconstruction of esthetics, his capacity to take risks and to go beyond his limits, while maintaining an aim to unify. His dance is situated in a space of friendship, encounters, exchange and alterity. Boutiana’s choreographic research gives life to an instinctive and intuitive movement which, once mastered by dancers, can once again focus on unity, on a “Re-union”.

Source : Didier Boutiana’s website

More information : http://caminaktion.eu/ 

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/