Dorothée Munyaneza / Kadidi Company
Toi, moi, Tituba…
Presented by New York Live Arts, in association with BAM, L’Alliance New York’s Crossing The Line, and Villa Albertine
Runtime: 60 minutes
How do we summon the presence of someone who is gone? How can we bring something to life if it is no longer there? Toi, moi, Tituba… is based on French philosopher Elsa Dorlin’s essay on Maryse Condé’s heroine Tituba. As a black woman and so-called witch, Tituba gives a voice to those who are silenced by force. Those erased from history. Inspired by this story, Dorothée Munyaneza uses her own body as a danced archive. She makes suppressed voices audible, visible and tangible once more. Toi, moi, Tituba… is a striking “collective solo” presenting a multiplicity of voices and perspectives converging in a single body, so no one is forgotten.
Starting from a body-archive capable of collecting and honouring memories, Munyaneza builds with composer Khyam Allami a living, sensitive, physical and corporeal archive. She brings together experiences born of the very dispersion. She turns her body into a fragment and a whole; a body that excavates a past of suffering and pain to celebrate, repair and commemorate. Her standing body prevents oblivion and erasure.
Artistic Direction & Performance: Dorothée Munyaneza
Live Voice: Dorothée Munyaneza
Recorded Music: Khyam Allami
Costumes: Stéphanie Coudert
From a text by: Elsa Dorlin
Lighting Design: Marine Le Vey
Sound Management: Aude Besnard
Lighting Management: Anna Geneste
Production: Virginie Dupray, assisted by Louise Mutabazi
Co-Production
Chaillot – Théâtre National de la Danse Paris I Maison de la Danse Lyon – Pôle Européen de création I deSingel Anvers I Tanz im August – HAU Hebbel am Ufer Berlin I Pavillon ADC Genève I Fonds Transfabrik – Fonds franco-allemand pour le spectacle vivant
Studio Residency
CCN – Ballet National de Marseille I Friche Belle de mai Marseille I Centre d’art Montévidéo Marseille I deSingel Anvers
With support from
The Fondation Camargo, Cassis
Montévidéo Art Centre – festival Actoral Marseille
DRAC Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur
Premiered on August 10, 2023 at the Tanz im August Festival, Berlin.
“The organic sophistication of the vocal work that accompanies the movement and music of
Dorothée Munyaneza’s performance possesses an almost superhuman power, and this tour de force resonates with the ghosts with whom she dialogues.”
Hannah Walti, montrealsecret.co, 28-05-2025
“Moving and powerful, the performance stands firmly in the tradition of those essential works that strive to restore a fragmented memory and bring to light a history that is all too
often erased.”
Jacqueline Van de Geer, lesartsze.com, 28 May 2025
