Ineffable

The ineffable is that which cannot be  expressed in words. On stage, various forms of sacred art are combined  through music and dance in order to make manifest what we often forget  to look at, our deep and immortal nature, which cannot be described by  words. For me, the sacred is everything that crosses time without taking  on any wrinkles, that which surpasses understanding, that which frees  us from suffering and raises us above our human condition.

To reach the peaceful and eternal  silence that lies within all forms of life is the highest and most  difficult quest, but it is also and above all the most beautiful. Thus,  contrary to what one might think, this personal path of inner  realisation cannot be a path without obstacles. This aspiration is so  precious and so deep that it is easy to go astray while thinking we are  on the right path, and it is impossible to approach this purity of the  soul without first deeply facing everything that keeps it away. Thus,  evoking spiritual pride, that spirit which claims to hold the ultimate  truth without having totally purified itself of all traces of ego, is  one of the essential points of this creation because it is ultimately  the most dangerous trap.

Choreographically, I took great pleasure  in feeding my dance with numerous forms of bodily expression from  religious rites and in particular mudras, this “yoga of the hands”  carrying a language adorned with symbols, by merging it with my  favourite dance: hip hop dance and in particular the “tutting”  technique. As I am also a trained musician, I compose and play part of  the music live in order to be one with the sound while inviting the  magic of the present moment with its surprises and fragility. In  addition to broadcasting a selection of musical works from different  spiritual traditions, my intention is to show that it is also possible  to detect this relationship to the sacred in unexpected registers such  as wadaiko (traditional Japanese percussion) or electro. The repertoire  of sacred music being an extremely vast and rich field of creativity, my  selection obviously reflects only a tiny part of all that is possible  to hear. However, I have oriented my research by trying as much as  possible to listen with my heart and not with my mind. Thus, it is my  firm belief that each of the carefully selected pieces of music for this  creation was written by a spirit aspiring to something greater than  simply satisfying its worldly desires. Although they differ in form, the  substance and power of the music are not far apart, as they reflect one  and the same thing: our immortal essence. 

Finally, the meaning that I have given  to my life and that I wish to share here lies in learning to control  one’s own body and mind, the two precious instruments of our  accomplishment.

Jann Gallois

More information: cieburnout.com