Gounouj

At Gros Morne/ Grande Anse (Deshaies, Guadeloupe), the natural context has reached a point of perfect climatic environmental balance between fauna, flora and climatic conditions. It is in this protected ecosystem, yet threatened by human interaction, that Léo Lérus drew the inspiration for ‘Gounouj’. Initially a trio, in its first version in situ in 2022, the piece is now a quartet shot through with ‘tensions between two opposites’: Portuguese saudade and its mix of nostalgia, sadness and hope, and Creole bousyè, the stripping naked of a crustacean during its moult, synonymous with fragility but also renewal. In a scenic space bathed in light and sound - including the sound of frogs, or gounouj - evoking this unspoilt site, the performers' bodies bear witness to this vulnerability, as well as their ability to play with these imbalances. Sensitive and subtle, their physical and emotional interconnection rediscovers the gestural and rhythmic codes of Guadeloupean gwoka, and those of the complex interaction between solo dancers and tambouyé during the LÉWÒZ evenings. 

Léo Lérus

Léo Lérus was born in Abymes, Guadeloupe, in 1980. His first school was with the choreographer and teacher Léna Blou. There he discovered traditional gwo ka dance and contemporary and classical dance. Then, at the age of 14, he joined the CNSMDP to continue his contemporary training. In 1999, he began his career as a performer with various companies, including the Batsheva Dance Company. Following in the footsteps of the various artists he has worked with, he began creating his own pieces in 2010. Affirming his attachment to the vein of gwo ka and to his native island, Léo Lérus is constantly experimenting, while respecting and exploring his cultural heritage. His most recent works include Entropie (2019), winner of the Audience Prize in the PODIUM 2021 competition organised by Le Pacifique CDCN Grenoble Auvergne Rhône-Alpes; and more recently Gounouj - in situ, winner of the ‘Mondes nouveaux’ scheme launched by the French Ministry of Culture.