Julidans - Umuko Dorothée Munyaneza

In dialogue

For her new creation, Umuko, French dancer, choreographer, and theatre maker Dorothée Munyaneza, returned to her native Rwanda. In dialogue with young poets, dancers and musicians, all born after the genocide that tore apart the African country in 1994, she celebrates the creativity, courage and freedom of a new generation. How do the memories of a horrific past find a place in an expectant future?

With a young, ultra-energetic cast, Munyaneza conjures up the 'umuko'. This tree, with its vermilion red flowers, illuminated Munyaneza's childhood before she fled to Europe with her family. At the foot of the umuko, the guardian tree of ancestral stories, full of comfort and healing power, the group gathers and makes connections between what has been preserved, what is to come and how they can face evil.

Umuko is a flamboyant yet vulnerable exploration of the past and present. Through dance, poetry, music, and song, love, solidarity, and joy are expressed through the rebellious power of youth. Munyaneza: “This is the time to find the home tree and to regain strength along the winding and rich paths of the creative process.”

About the creator

The multidisciplinary artist Dorothée Munyaneza draws on the diversity of her Rwandan heritage for her work but is mainly driven by her hunger for exchange. In addition to trendsetters from contemporary dance such as Robyn Orlin, Rachid Ouramdane and Maud Le Pladec, she collaborated with photographer Nan Goldin, fashion designer Stéphanie Coudert and multi-instrumentalist and singer Ben LaMar Gay.