La Nuée

With a reputation for minimalist and captivating choreographies, Nacera Belaza continues the exploration of the circle and rhythm she initiated with Le Cercle (2019) and L'Onde (2021), both landmarks in her choreographic language. Following on from an initial period of creation in Brussels in May 2024, the choreographer then enlarged the creative process of La Nuée by inviting ten new performers to the stage.

While traveling through the Midwest region of the United States, Nacera Belaza attended a gathering of First Nations people. The participants in the celebration, from different communities, form a large circle and perform their dances to a percussive tempo. The choreographer observed that the circle is mixed with beating of the rhythm, two figures which nevertheless appear to be in opposition. In La Nuée, ten performers experience what it is like to combine centrifugal momentum and pulsation inside their bodies. Accompanied by rustling noises, cries and songs, their silhouettes are inhabited by an image that their dance transmits. Confronted with this circle or round, the audience is invited not to refuse the impossible, namely that of perceiving clarity in the darkness, and silence in the din.

© Luca Ianelli