Les écailles de la mémoire

A group of people assembles on stage and then a crescendo of voices declares the names and heritage of the people to whom the voices belong.  It doesn’t take long for the voices to become a wall of noise assaulting the ears and minds of the audience – the ears struggling to deal with the loudness and the mind spinning in an attempt to decipher so many voices at once.  And so begins Les écailles de la mémoire, a combination of two dance troupes: Urban Bush Women, hailing from Brooklyn, and Compagnie Jant-Bi, coming all the way from Senegal.  The two groups come together in an attempt to recreate the history of the African and African American peoples.

The music and choreography worked together very well to express the struggle of Africans and African Americans.  I enjoyed the way the choreography used movements that felt more tribal to represent Africans, while they used more modern moves to represent African Americans.  One scene that struck me as particularly powerful was when all the performers gathered under a single spotlight, struggling for a glimpse of light and a breath of fresh air.

One thing I didn’t understand was why the audience began clapping at some points of the performance.  Some performers had dance solos, but perhaps I’m simply not familiar enough with dance to understand why or how the solos warranted spontaneous applause.  The final scene, however, seemed to be symbolic of a future that both dance troupes wish to see.  The way that all the performers gathered together to take a deep breath in unison, then utter “J’accepte.  I accept” was very clear that the two troupes desire for all Africans and African Americans to accept the past, and by doing so, look to the future.