L’Homme Rare at Southbank Centre

Côte d’Ivorian choreographer Nadia Beugré presents L’Homme Rare, a playful and provocative dance performance that questions gender perceptions and delves into the historical European gaze on black male bodies. June 12 and 13 @southbankcentre Tickets: https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/performance-dance/lift-2024-nadia-beugre-lhomme-rare

Nadia Beugré uses her unique choreography and staging to highlight gender perceptions and body objectification.

Gender has always been a key theme in her work. In L’Homme Rare, she tackles this issue head-on. She examines how bodies are scrutinized and the qualities attributed to their movements.

First, Beugré starts with a game that blurs gender perceptions. She then puts the audience in the role of voyeurs. This invites them to explore her study of Black male bodies, both in history and today.

The five dancers perform without showing their faces. Instead, they rely on their backs for the choreography. Their movements, inspired by dance techniques focusing on the pelvis, prominently feature the buttocks. These feminine-associated practices challenge and deconstruct traditional masculinity.

L’Homme Rare also reflects on the historical and ongoing European gaze on Black bodies.

This performance is part of the London International Festival of Theatre (LIFT).