Alès: Sanké or the roots of exile at the Verrerie

Constanza Nazal, Sekou Soumah, Lina Ramirez, Lola-María Guy et Juan David Barreto, cinq des six artistes en résidence de création à la Verrerie d’Alès, lundi 3 février. Camera obscura – STEPHANE BARBIER

Questioning the notion of universality, the young company offers a residency release on Wednesday, February 5, at the Verrerie, the national circus center of Alès, at 6 p.m.

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The beat of the world…
At the back of the stage, five circus performers suddenly spread out in space, before closing in on themselves and then exploding by investing the large chiaroscuro stage of the Verrerie circus center. A fluid, energetic form, embodying movement in space, the world, beings submissive or engaged in exile.
An intimate state experienced by each of its circus performers whose multiple origins, Guinea, Colombia, Guatemala, Chile or even France, form a story nourishing the Sanké project co-written with Robin Socasau and choreographed by Mamé Diarra. Sanké, a term synonymous with the root word in the Soussou language, sheds light on the attachment and uprooting between beings. A dynamic that the company carries through acrobatics, dance or even circus.
Monday, February 3, in the warm-up phase opening four days of rehearsals at the Verrerie d’Alès, Lina Ramirez, Colombian, puts words to it.
“Borders are an invention of the governments of each country. We all work together and we are from several countries. We said to ourselves what is the difference between us ? Maybe the language ? But we all manage to talk to each other! We realize that we are all the same. But then why borders if we are all the same and we can work together. This multicultural group speaks different languages ​​and it is beautiful to find ourselves on stage and show the audience that we all speak the same language.”
At her side Sekou Soumah, ex of the Circus Baobab company and Lola-Maria Guy, Guatemalan who grew up in France from house dance, an expression of the hip-hop movement and the bearer of the Sanké project. Project born from a meeting between two continents, Africa and Europe, through which four other artists, including three South Americans, come together. A matrix is ​​then formed, ready to question, through its own experience, identity and difference through the body and space.
Starting with the technique that these acrobats carry within them in a different way from one culture to another. Particularly the lift, a unique acrobatics in Guinea. “In fact, here in France we do a lot of dance or contemporary acrobatics, explains Sekou Soumah. Here we don't have that. Here you come and you send it directly. They tell you somersault and you do a somersault, they tell you flip and you do a flip. Even if you don't know how to do it.”
“And the conditions are not at all the same. They work on sand, wood shavings, there are no mats, explains Lola-Maria Guy. And the rhythm of the beats, the carrying techniques are also very different. But the question of the border is to approach all the borders even in the distribution.”

Borders are always a difficulty where I am forbidden, always questioning what I want to do.

Thus, once the warm-ups are over, the sound of a kora wakes up the bodies and silences the voices. It is the circus performer, his gestures and movements repeated many times, still searching, who then takes the floor. “My roots are diverse: Mapuche, Chilean, Italian and, all of this, it's me, my roots, explains Constanza Nazal, Chilean. In the end, I don't really know where I come from. But the borders, it's always a difficulty where I'm forbidden, always questioning what I want to do. I've always loved the circus and I have a vision of my roots. I have this perception in me so I will be sincere on stage to share it with an energy that will touch the audience…”

Sanké, in performance, free, (30 min) on reservation (04 66 86 45 02), Wednesday, February 5, at 6 p.m., at the Verrerie d’Alès, 155 rue du Faubourg de Rochebelle. With Performing artists: Lola María Guy, Lina Ramirez, Sekou Soumah, Almamy Ben Bangoura, Juan David Barreto, Constanza Nazal • Circassian writing: Robin Socasau • Project leader: Lola María Guy • Choreographic perspective: Mamé Diarra • Production: ImpulsARTe