Manta

What induces women to hide their bodies and faces from the outside world?  There are few articles of clothing which can spark off quite as much debate as the veil. Dancer and choreographer Héla Fattoumi remembers her childhood Tunis where she played with the veils of her female relatives without ever having to wear one herself. Later in life, Paris became her hometown and she found herself torn between curiosity and conflicting emotions when confronted with so many women choosing to wear the veil. So Héla bought herself a hijab (veil) and set about researching the question from her own particular perspective; both as a choreographer and as a dancer, but also as an Arab woman with a twofold cultural background. Manta came about as a result of what Héla discovered as she observed her surroundings from inside the veil.

Working with the choreographer Eric Lamoreux, Heléna Fattoumi has ventured into this most controversial of issues - using the veil itself as her guide.  Héla tells how she was overwhelmed by different sensations as she explored the limits and limitations of the garment, both from within and without. Tentative movements gradually turned into steps and then finally into dance. Manta explores the limits imposed on the wearer by this religiously loaded garment, uncovers a forum for artistic expression – blending dance with on-screen texts, film sequences, web content and music. In her electrifying solo, Héla’s distinctive artistic expression turns Manta into an evocation not just of claustrophobia, but also of pride and liberation.

Héla Fattoumi and Éric Lamoreux have been collaborating since 1988.  Their oeuvre is characterized by a tenacious exploration of our body’s intelligence and its innate capacity to reveal meaning through movement. Truly art that is, at one and the same time, unpredictable and ever-changing.

Choreography: Héla Fattoumi/Eric Lamoureux
Performer: Héla Fattoumi
Music & video: Eric Lamoureux
Costumes / Tissues: Marilyne Lafay
Set design: Stéphane Pauvret
Lighting: Xavier Lazarini
Building set: Jackie Baux 
Assistantship: Pauline Le Boulba
Production: Centre Chorégraphique de Caen/Basse-Normandie (CCNC/BN)
Coproduction: Festival Montpellier Danse 2009,  LiFE – Lieu international des
Formes Emergentes de Saint Nazaire 
 

Performance length: approx. 70 min