Maldonne

In Maldonne, the first ensemble performance by French rising star Leïla Ka, a playful yet powerful portrait of femininity emerges. Five dancers in long floral dresses move in a controlled and synchronised way, their movements tuned to breaths and voices. But what begins as delicate synchronisation soon turns into a chaos of lip-syncs and movements that complement and repel each other. Vulnerability and rebellion become intertwined in an unruly, expressive choreography.

The dresses, 30 items from second-hand shops, play a key role. They are not only worn but also transformed: knotted into phalluses, used as whips or as supports to cling on to while Leonard Cohen’s Dance Me to the End of Love plays. The dancers represent women hanging laundry, gossiping or being pregnant. But nothing is what it seems. Leïla Ka questions female identity, by constantly turning it upside down. Each transition is marked by a costume change, creating a mosaic of images and stories.

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The title Maldonne comes from card games and refers to an incorrectly dealt hand, forcing the game to start all over again. For Ka, it symbolises the position of women in society: much has been achieved, but inequality remains. At the same time, the title also refers to Madonna, the iconic pop star who embodies female strength and rebellion. The performance offers a poetic and sometimes ironic look at the roles and expectations imposed on women.

Leïla Ka started out in the urban dance scene and was then assistant to French dance pioneer Maguy Marin, who is known for her innovative and expressive dance language. Marin has clearly influenced Ka's own work. With Maldonne, Ka highlights once again her talent as a choreographer. The performance premiered at La Garance - Scène nationale de Cavaillon in 2023 and receives standing ovations around the world.

choreographer Leïla Ka
performers Jennifer Dubreuil Houthemann, Jane Fournier Dumet, Leïla Ka, Zoé Lakhnati, Jade Logmo
choreographer assistant Jane Fournier Dumet
lichtontwerp Laurent Fallot
light design Laurent Fallot of Clara Coll Bigot
sound design Rodrig De Sa of Manon Garnier
production CENTQUATRE-PARIS en Cie Leïla Ka
with the support of Le Quatrain – cultureel centrum van Clisson Sèvre et Maine Agglo, stad Gouesnou – Centre Henri Queffélec mecenaat Caisse des Dépôts residentiesteun Fondation Royaumont / Fondation d'entreprise Hermès

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coproduction La Garance – Scène nationale de Cavaillon, Théâtre Malakoff – Scène nationale, Théâtre d’Angoulême – Scène nationale, Théâtre de Suresnes Jean Vilar – festival Suresnes Cités Danse 2024, Centre Chorégraphique National d’Orléans – under the direction of Maud Le Pladec, Centre Chorégraphique National – Ballet de Lorraine – under the direction of Petter Jacobsson in het kader van Accueil-studio, Les Quinconces en L’espal – Scène nationale du Mans, Espaces Pluriels – scène conventionnée d’intérêt national Art et création – Danse, Pau, La Manufacture – CDCN Nouvelle-Aquitaine Bordeaux/La Rochelle, La Passerelle – Scène nationale de Saint-Brieuc, Fondation Royaumont, Espace 1789 – scène conventionnée d’intérêt national Art et création pour la danse de Saint-Ouen