Dildo's Lament, Céremonie pour un mirage, HÉLIO VOLANA

💫 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 hyper-sexualized or, conversely, threatening positions. In a strange sanctuary, a chorus of dildos emerges from the closet and delivers its vibratory laments before conjuring away dominant assignments and norms.

The title pays homage to the aria – Dido's Lamentations, from Purcell's opera Dido and Aeneas. It is not an adaptation, but a nod to it: the piece dissects lamentation and melancholic processes from an empowering perspective.

This contemporary funeral ritual is punctuated by the vibrant laments of a pink choir of mourners: the vibrations of dildos resonate with cymbals and percussion membranes. In this dildo-based polyphony, the autotuned agonies of a galvanized guardian, the sermon of a trance-like priestess, and the sword strikes of a mysterious warrior intertwine.

Through a camp aesthetic, Helio Volana reappropriates the gestures of the funeral to cradle the triarchal norms one last time – before saying goodbye to them and piercing them.


〓 Ticket Office 〓
In person + online: https://my.weezevent.com/dildos-lament-ceremonie-pour-un-mirage-helio-volana
Full price: €10
Reduced price upon presentation of proof of eligibility: €8

🌭 Bar and light meals available on site (cash & credit cards accepted) 🍺


〓 Distribution 〓
HELIO VOLANA: concept, direction, composition, performance, set design
IRIS THERASSE: Associate Composer
ANTONIJA LIVINGSTONE: an outsider's perspective
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 Regional Fund for Emerging Talents (FORTE).
With the support of: La Muse en Circuit (Alfortville), Les Instants Chavirés (Montreuil), La Ménagerie de Verre (Paris), Théâtre de Vanves (Vanves), Actoral (Marseille).

🎈Poster: Philippine Bordeaux

Translated automatically - see original description in French