Ismaël Mouaraki | Destins Croisés
Le sacre de Lila
Co-presented with L’Alliance New York’s Crossing The Line Festival
Inspired by the Lila ceremonies, traditional mystical and musical celebrations of his native Morocco, Ismaël Mouaraki explores trance with a group of male dancers from Quebec and Morocco in his newest creation. Through them, the French-Moroccan-Canadian retraces his own journey before the eyes of the public. Meaning “night” in Arabic, a “Lila” is a set of nocturnal healing rituals that blends singing, dancing, and music, traditionally found in some North African countries. Ismaël transposes the rites and codes of these dance rituals onto the stage, while infusing his signature contemporary street dance style to reveal the sensitivity and sensuality of the male body. Tinted with the tastes and colors of Morocco, the artists transform the performance into a celebration and exaltation of bodies that unfolds with an undeniable energy.
Le sacre de Lila is a very personal project born from Mouraki’s childhood memories in the Maghreb. It reveals his deep connection to Morocco and the Arab world that is intertwined with evocations of France where he was born and Quebec where he grew up – three territories, rooted and embedded in his body. In 2023, the piece received the award for the best choreographic work at Prix de la Danse de Montréal, given by the Conseil des Arts et des Lettres du Québec. This highly symbolic work marks the 25 years of Ismaël Mouaraki’s immigration and the 20 years of his company Destins Croisés.
Production: Destins Croisés
Choreographer: Ismaël Mouaraki
Rehearsal Directors and Artistic Advisors: Annie Gagnon, Geneviève Boulet
Performers: Rodrigo Alvarenga-Bonilla, Léo Coupal-Lafleur, Gabriel Jobin, Etienne Léonard Benoit, Daniel Stefek, Alexandre Wilhelm
Additional Performers during creation process: Ayoub Hattab, Faissal El Assia, Soufiane Faouzi Mrani, Yassine Khyar
Music: Antoine Berthiaume. Featuring participation from the Association Salamate Gnawa Montréal and Okto Echo.
Lighting and Technical Direction: Rodolphe St-Arneault
Costumes and Scenography: Marilène Bastien
Co-production: Agora de la danse
With the support from Villa Albertine and Albertine Foundation.
General Seating. Tickets are available on a variable scale, with a pay what you wish option. We offer a standard ticket price of $30.00. We also offer a supporter ticket of $250. Your purchase helps offset the cost of producing this performance, in which the actual cost per ticket averages to $250. We ask that your purchase reflects what you are able to comfortably pay, as we strive to make these very important works available to everyone by offering subsidized ticketing.
$10 Student rush available at door, excluding sold out performances.
