Festival Paris l'été 2023 with Vástádus eana / The Answer is Land: we were there, we tell you about it

Since July 10, 2023, the Paris l'été Festival has been taking over several venues in the capital to unveil shows combining dance, theater, performance, circus and concert. Following Joël Pommerat's"Contes et Légendes", David Wahl and Olivier de Sagazan's"Nos Cœurs en Terre" and Mohamed El Khatib's"Mes Parents", the multidisciplinary Parisian festival invites Norwegian director and choreographer Elle Sofe Sara to present her sublime show " Vástádus eana / The Answer is Land ".

To be seen from July 26 to 28, 2023 at 10pm in the intimate setting of the Lycée Jacques Decour, in the capital's 9th arrondissement, this show - as moving as it is powerful - takes us to the vast expanses of Lapland, where Elle Sofe Sara herds reindeer for much of the year. For Elle Sofe Sara is first and foremost a Sami, the indigenous people considered to be the last in Europe. Living in a vast region of around 400,000 square kilometers, covering northern Sweden, Norway and Finland, as well as Russia's Kola Peninsula, the Sami - also known as " Sami " - have their own language and a rich culture, whose literature and music are now internationally renowned.

With " Vástádus eana / The Answer is Land ", which we were lucky enough to discover on July 26, when it was first performed in Paris, Elle Sofe Sara drew her inspiration from the poem of the same name, which goes to the heart of Sami culture. For 1 hour 10 minutes, she takes us on a journey to the far-flung reaches of this beautiful land, where nature is omnipresent.

The show opens on the Lycée Jacques Decour basketball court. The 7 female performers - some wearing traditional Saami headdresses - arrive in single file, megaphones in hand. No music, not even " Joik " or " Yoik " - the traditional Sami song - but only the slow-motion movements of these dancers. It takes a few minutes before we finally hear the unison voices of these singers, profoundly changing the perspective of this show.

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After about 10 minutes, the artists leave the basketball court and lead us into another courtyard of the high school, where a large stage and bleachers have been set up. We take our places facing the stage, and the show continues with these 7 women, fists raised and all dressed in black. A harmonious blend of contemporary dance and Joik, the 7 performers cast a spell. Simply with their movements and their voices - so powerful and gripping - the 7 performers tell us a story: that of their people, standing proud after all the hardships and atrocities they have endured. They also recount the immense, indestructible bond with nature, in which the Sami people have always lived in perfect harmony.

Their bodies shake, clash, fall, roll, run and their feet strike the theater floor hard, as if to signify their presence, resistance and healing, while the long-suppressed Joik, performed here live by the artists, resonates majestically and deeply movingly throughout the theater. Each performer has his or her own Joik, making the performance even more beautiful and touching.

In the end, we leave this musical and choreographic show both soothed and galvanized, with the strange sensation of having experienced a space-time journey tinged with ancestral rituals. A beautiful show to discover until July 28 as part of the Paris l'été Festival!