NATURAL BORN HEALER Jihan Imago
NBH is a poetic solo performance, halfway between fiction and autobiography. It speaks of homelessness, of a long journey: that of healing. Of escape, of a tragic destiny in which the protagonist escapes death and sets out to meet himself. A solitary crossing of the desert during which memories are revisited, invoked, abandoned or cared for. One walks there as in a dream in the manner of Lynch’s cinema. The title is a nod to Oliver Stone’s Natural Born Killers, which, like Gregg Araki’s Doom Generation, are two cult films from the 90s where macabre roadtrip and love stories are superimposed.
The play questions the notion of departure, often with a very limited choice: “To stay and suffer, or to leave? This story is a prayer, a breath of life, an impulse, a healing song. It says “I have survived and I have just been born.” A tale about how to love and survive.
“As a poet and visual artist I like to think of each work as a stage of transformation. It is an incredible opportunity to go to areas of discomfort or unexplored areas and make a change. Using dance has challenged me a lot. I had to unlearn in order to learn. Imago, my artist name refers to the hatching phase of the butterfly after the larva and cocoon. The big question this piece asks is: Who does it have after the butterfly? We’ll find out together on stage.” Jihan Imago
Artistic direction & performance: Jihan Imago / Dramaturgy: Nedjma Hadj Benchelabi / Scenography/audiovisual creation: Enzo Tibi / Choreography adviser: Quan Bui Ngoc / With support from: Citylab-Pianofabriek, PodiumKunsten, Mestizo Arts Platform & Darna, maison des Cultures Marocco-Flamandes
