Mascarades is a solo act by an artist who admits to being incapable of separating creation from performance. It revolves around ‘a ventral pulsation that causes vertical oscillation’ (that is, a sustained jump) and a myth, a water goddess from Central Africa and the Diaspora, Mami Wata. On stage you will see an ambivalent, perhaps monstrous, hybrid being who lives like a mermaid between water and land. Mermaids have been associated with notions of pleasure and sensuality, as well as death. They appear frequently in the work of Congolese painters, often with pale skin, surrounded by combs and mirrors, jewellery and perfume, symbols of luxury and monetary power associated with the West. Might Mami Wata somehow represent the Dark Continent’s ambivalent relationship with Europe?
This is the question posed by Betty Tchomanga, a French artist of Cameroonian descent, who uses repetitive vertical jumps accompanied by electronic music and live vocals. Club sounds and African-rooted music play constantly, like a pulsation that seems to come from inside the performer’s body. She is an artist trained at the Centre National de Danse Contemporaine d’Angers. She has worked with great European choreographers, but in 2014 she discovered one of her most important influences: the work of Marlene Monteiro Freitas, a different, extravagant artist born in Cape Verde (she appeared in Grec 2022 with Idiota and will return this year with Israel Galván), with whom she had many connections. Since 2016, she has been choreographing with the Lola Gatt company, based in Brest, France.
A Lola Gatt production
With the support of the Endowment Fund of Le Quartz – Scène nationale de Brest and Spectacle vivant en Bretagne.
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
Sponsors: SARL SICC Saint-André-de-Cubzac
This project has received creation grants from the city of Brest and the Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication – Drac de Bretagne
Association Lola Gatt has the support of the region of Brittany.
This series of performances benefits from the financial support of Spectacle Vivant en Bretagne.
Created and performed by: Betty Tchomanga. Lighting design: Eduardo Abdala. Sound design: Stéphane Monteiro. Outside perspective: Emma Tricard, Dalila Khatir. Voice consultant: Dalila Khatir. Production director: Aoza - Marion Cachan. Music: 16th Step by DJ Lag, Libérez la bête by Casey, Horses in the Sky by A Silver Mt. Zion. Special acknowledgements: Marlene Monteiro Freitas, Gaël Sesboüé, Vincent Blouch
