DOUSLÈT – DOUCES LETTRES

A diptych from the choreographic creation “Sucres à corps chauds”

With Douslèt, the Collectif HEDO reaches a new stage in its research, focusing on the notion of anchoring within one’s territory and the question: “to leave or to stay?”  a question at the heart of their island condition, yet deeply universal.

In this new piece, Douslèt (a Creole word referring to a Guadeloupean confectionery), the collective explores the theme of “forced departure” and the dissolutions it entails. As a diptych to their previous work Sucres à corps chauds, this creation represents a true reappropriation of the subject a way to universalize the narrative and multiply the voices, allowing for a collective expression to emerge.

The choreographic piece opens up to a broader vision, widening the spectrum of responses and possibilities in the face of these issues. It draws its strength and inspiration from the testimonies and personal stories of those who have engaged in the intimate act of sharing their experiences.

“Stories of forced departure are stories of dissolution.”

This observation, drawn from the collected testimonies, raises pressing questions: Identity, culture, language  diluted? What remains when departure becomes synonymous with separation, division, deconstruction, dissolution?

The reasons for leaving one’s homeland are countless, yet they converge toward the same end: changes of state lead to states of change. And it is precisely here that the focus lies on what happens within, when one must adapt to a new environment.

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The title, which refers to a Guadeloupean confectionery, embodies the duality between softness and hardness, rigidity and fragility a reflection of the testimonies and stories that inspired the work. Through a play on words, from Douslèt to “Douces Lettres” (“Sweet Letters”), the piece draws from this idea to create a choreographic and human letter, an open message blending writing, voice, and dance to foster dialogue.

Unlike Sucres à Corps Chauds, which carried an autobiographical dimension, this new creation shifts the focus outward: four bodies now embody the life stages entrusted to them by others. The work explores the concept of departure, delving into the complex questions surrounding the act of leaving.

To leave evokes a journey whether to another region or another country symbolizing a path, a trajectory, a passage. This movement, with or without a clear destination, is imagined and experienced in unique ways by each individual. The piece invites reflection on the duality between the physical departure and the inner voyage. Beyond geography, the journey becomes a deep exploration of the self an invitation to depart not only physically, but also mentally, opening the way to the discovery of new configurations and perspectives.

USLÈT,
DOUCES LETTRES

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