Audience Reviews

AUDIENCE REVIEW: Crossing the line festival- Le sacre de Lila

Company:
Destins Croisés

Performance Date:
Nov-8-2024

Freeform Review:

The Destins Croisés, the ensemble put together, by Ismaël Mouaraki, around the idea of a cultural exchange. This meditation on spirituality, the formation of ritual, and translating meaning across languages for intro into the choreographer’s motives in creating Le sacre de Lila. For instance, the mere elaboration of what it means to the body to be spiritual, and how the spiritual was received in context, and touring such an installation from Montreal Danse to The Crossing the Line Festival with L’alliance NY, and Bill T. Jones New York Arts Live.

Special thanks to Agora de la Danse, where it premiered in 2022, “a special piece in the choreographer’s repertoire. Featuring a group of dancers from Quebec and Morocco, to celebrate Ismaël Mouaraki’s roots and cultural and artistic background.” This motif took the audiences to the homeland of Ismaël’s meditations on Morocco. The title translates to the festival of night which inspired its creator, also known as the World Festival of Gnawian Music in Essaouira, Morocco. The festival where they bridge identities inhabiting the Mediterranean basin, and beyond with an international rastafarian culture. 

The dominant assumption for a gathering has changed over time, as we are given history through movements of art, literature, and society though themes for these values to persist only in concepts. A theory of spirituality like religions, and this diversity could be claimed to some point by its philosophy or a canon in reference. A visitation, to say the least, and the performers who concisely bring forth a guided meditation with a fusion of rhythms and vibrations which breathed life into the dance. The idea of good taste and beauty refers to a critique of public art and our perception of power and art resound, Le sacre de Lila. It reminded us what it means to be in community for us all. The reason for this is because, besides a symbolic gesture with a swirl of blue stones at the top of the show, the consistent drumming, and dissolving shape of blue stones at their feet, the street dance consisted mainly of creating a dance circle. But almost immediately the symbol was destroyed by the dancers as they were sliding, diving, and breakdancing. There was a nonchalant rise and fall across its entirety, when it is our viewpoint that mixes what is put into question here, the role of believer told wonders about our involvement in the dance.

Ismaël’s Le sacre de Lila featured a postback talk with interest of where it comes from, and how it is received by new audiences. There was a context for different races, religions, and origins around Europe, Africa, and Asia to appear self-interested, while also they share geographically around the Mediterranean. And this blue swirl of royal blue rocks prepared by the dancers dissolved in a matter of minutes. It was attention grabbing. The resting points were affirming this actual brief similarity to inspirations of Ismaël’s roots in Morocco, with its trance taken to resemble the Gnawa music festival.

A transcendence of spiritual effect on the body was eloquent in its materiality on stage. Five performers reach for this deep connection with the spiritual body grounded by the shared heritage of ancient cultures around the Mediterraneans. This meditation on Moroccan culture is venerated by the musicology of Gnawa music, this musical gathering, and elevated by sufi, hip-hop, a street dance, and acrobatic art form, with the region's traditional customs. In this, street art is a movement that could have lasted much longer than a 60-minute piece. A syncopation of transmuting one’s experience in the transformation to these five dancers, and from the audience  only the music consumed us as we followed what was to happen. This Moroccan street dancer culture, from the point of perspective of the berber word, gnawa for the refirmation of the tragic slavetrade, and the gathering of people in the Magrheb.

Author:
Chuck Schultz

Website:
WHYSEEART.com

Photo Credit:
Chuck Schultz