Acontemporary queer funeral ceremony.
In this ritual at the intersection of dance, performance and experimental music,
Hélio Volana questions the mechanisms that, in a patriarchal and predominantly white society, assign bodies perceived as racialized and queer to ultra-sexualized or, conversely, threatening positions. In a strange sanctuary, a chorus of dildos comes out of the closet and delivers its vibratory laments before conjuring up the dominant assignations and norms.
The title pays homage to the aria – Dido’s Lamentations, from Purcell’s opera Dido and Aeneas. This contemporary funeral ritual is punctuated by the vibrant laments of a pink chorus of mourners: the vibrations of the dildos bring cymbals and percussion membranes into resonance. In this dildophonic polyphony, the autotuned agonies of a galvanized janitor, the sermon of a priestess in trance, and the sword impacts of a mysterious warrioress mingle.Through a camp aesthetic, Helio Volana reappropriates the gestures of the funerary to cradle blantriarchal norms one last time – before bidding them farewell and piercing them.
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Distribution:
HELIO VOLANA conception, direction, composition, interpretation, scenography
IRIS THERASSE associate composer
ANTONIJA LIVINGSTONE outside view
HENRIQUE OLIVEIRA CARDOSO costume design
MAUREEN BÉGUIN lighting design
WILLOW KOHN BISSECK choreographic assistant (sexy dance)
MARIE DOS SANTOS scenographic collaboration
DELEGATED PRODUCTION: La Muse en Circuit
This project is a 2024 winner of the Fonds régional pour les talents émergents (FoRTE), financed by the Île-de-France Region. With the support of : La Muse en Circuit (Alfortville), Les Instants Chavirés (Montreuil), La Ménagerie de Verre (Paris), Théatre de Vanves (Vanves), Actoral (Marseille).