Hervé Koubi: No Matter

The title sets the tone: It doesn't matter. Whether you are a woman or a man, what matters is to present yourself with pride as you are, to laugh at the gaze of others and what they might say, in order to free yourself and retain the strength to move forward. Hervé Koubi has held this deep conviction since his first shows. It is powerfully embodied in this programme, which juxtaposes Boys Don't Cry with Nuits Blanches and Take Back the Night, new 100% female works featuring a team of dancers from South Korea. Whereas the first piece questioned male identity (what does it mean for a boy, especially one from North Africa, to dance?), the latter are dedicated to all the everyday heroines, the forgotten figures of history, the resistance fighters and those, real or fictional, who populate popular cultures and narratives.
Ten Korean dancers, accompanied by music from Lille-based electro-pop duo Dear Deer, pay tribute to them in a liberating gesture. Coming from a country that has only recently developed, where history and traditions remain a source of wealth but also a burden, they affirm the emancipation of a youth that has decided to break free from gender stereotypes. By taking power, they open up a space for poetic and unifying reflection.
The story goes that Gonggangsullae, danced at night during the full moon, enabled women to repel the enemy during an attempted invasion in the 14th century. Its architecture inspired the dramaturgy of Nuits Blanches and Take Back the Night.