International Dance: Le sacre de Lila

CONTEMPORARY DANCE LE SACRE DE LILA Ismaël Mouaraki, Destins Croisés (Québec) Le sacre de Lila, a profoundly personal work by dancer-choreographer Ismaël Mouaraki, traces his own journey through France, Morocco, and Québec in his exploration of the mystical and musical traditions of Lila (“night,” in Arabic), the nocturnal rituals of spiritual healing that employ the trance, song, music, and dance traditions of the Sufi communities of the Maghreb. Created collaboratively with eight of his Destins Croisés dancers, themselves Moroccan and Québecois, Ismaël draws on childhood memories to reimagine Lila for the current moment, revealing the sensitivity and sensuality of the male body with choreography informed by his signature urban dance style and the mesmerizing electronic soundscape composed by Antoine Berthiaume. Three disparate geographies, coalescing in the dancers’ movements and tinged with the tastes and colors of Morocco. Le sacre de Lila transforms timeless ritual into contemporary celebration and timely reflection on immigration, in a work that exalts the male body with contagious, energetic dancing. In collaboration with l’association Salamate Gnawa Montréal. Le sacre de Lila was awarded the 2023 Prix de la meilleure oeuvre choréographique from the Conseil des Arts et des Lettres du Québec.