MASCARADES

Betty Tchomanga

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Live performance

45min
Théâtre de l'Oiseau-Mouche, Roubaix

In collaboration with the Théâtre Massenet

Gesture close to sacred ritual, trance, it is as a rebellious woman that Betty Tchomanga appears on stage to offer us a concentrate of humanity, in a universe where concessions have no place.

Mami Wata is a goddess of water, a figure from the depths of night, of power and sexuality. A stranded mermaid who faces people watching her. She jumps. The jump that goes through her is a vertical jump, a regular one. The Latin word to say « to dance » is saltare, from saltus, « the jump ». Creating dance from jumps as a persistence of an ancient gesture – perhaps universal ? – a movement from the depths of a human being. Jump as a metaphor of desire, a search for pleasure. A desire of pleasure. A desire for other, a desire for another, for what we do note have, for what we are not. Jump to exult. Jump to expel. Jump to endure. Jump to resist. Jump to reach. Jump to become. Jump to die. Jump to exist.

Biography(s)

Born in 1989 from a Cameroonian father and a French mother, Betty Tchomanga started to dance at the age of 9 and then trained at the Bordeaux Conservatory and with Alain Gonotey of the Lullaby Company.

In 2007, she joined the Choreographic Artist Training of the National Center of Contemporary Dance of Angers (CNDC) under the direction of Emmanuelle Huynh.  As a performer, she has worked with Emmanuelle Huynh (Cribles, Augures) and Alain Buffard (Tout va bien), Raphaëlle Delaunay (Bitter Sugar), Fanny de Chaillé (Passage à l’acte), Gaël Sesboüé (Grammes), Éléonore Didier (Moi, mes copines, à l’instant où ça s’arrête), Anne Collod (Le parlement des Invisibles), Herman Diephuis (Clan ; Mix), Nina Santès (Hymen Hymne). She also works a lot with Marlene Monteiro Freitas (D’ivoire et chair, les statues souffrent aussi ; Bacchantes, prélude pour une purge). She also works on performances for the plastic artist Alex Ceccetti and obtained a first role in Secteur IX B, a film by Mathieu K. Abonnenc presented at the Venice Biennale in 2015. 

Betty Tchomanga is also an author: in 2012, she signed -A- ou il a surement peur de l’eau le poisson in collaboration with the musician Romain Mercier; then in 2013, she created an in situ show entitled Le Rivage in collaboration with Oriane Déchery and Jérôme Andrieu. In 2016, she joined the Association Lola Gatt Productions chorégraphiques established in Brest as associate choreographer with Gaël Sesboüé and Marie-Laure Caradec. The same year, she choreographed and directed Madame, a piece for three performers.

Credits

Distribution :

Conception and interpretation : Betty Tchomanga

Lighting design : Eduardo Abdala

Sound creation: Stéphane Monteiro

Outside view : Emma Tricard and Dalila Khatir

Consultant vocal work: Dalila Khatir

Sound management (alternating): Stéphane Monteiro, Arnaud de la Celle and Michel Assier Andrieu

Lighting director (alternating): Eduardo Abdala and Arthur Gueydan

Administration of production and diffusion : Aoza – Marion Cachan

Thanks : Marlene Monteiro Freitas, Gaël Sesboüé and Vincent Blouch

Credits and mentions :

Production LOLA GATT

With the support of the Fonds de dotation du Quartz, scène nationale de Brest

Partners : CDCN Le Pacifique – Grenoble, L’Atelier de Paris / CDCN, La Gare – Fabrique des arts en mouvement – Le Relecq-Kerhuon, Festival La Bécquée – Un soir à l’ouest, Le Cabaret Vauban, Les Quinconces and L’Espal, Scène nationale du Mans

Sponsor : SARL SICC Saint-André-de-Cubzac

This project received a creation grant from the City of Brest and the Ministry of Culture – DRAC of Brittany.

Touring dates :