Photo : © Davy
Autothérapie - Unbolting Colonial Statues from Our Consciousness - Mackenzy Bergile
As part of the Faits d'hiver festival, Autothérapie - Unbolting Colonial Statues from Our Consciousness delves into the history of colonization, segregation, and slavery.
Théâtre de la Bastille (Paris 11th)
About
With this first solo, Mackenzy Bergile leads a choreographic introspection of a 21st-century body, a hybrid body where the legacies of African diasporas, marked by exile, displacement, and migration, are read, and where identity is constantly recomposed. Between Haiti, Europe, and the United States, from the transatlantic slave trade to the Haitian Revolution, he makes memory a space of friction and his body a geography with porous boundaries, allowing long-stifled presences to surface. Through his gestures, historical figures and episodes emerge at the edge of representation, like ghosts coming to agitate our present.
The performance proceeds in fragments, inspired by Haitian spiralism, the poetic movement that rejected the linear order of history in favor of a narrative progressing through irruptions, shifts, and reminiscences. The spiral thus becomes the motif of a choreography where spinal undulation mutates the Yanvalou—a Haitian voodoo dance—in contact with ballet and jazz.
Our take on this event
Experience a powerful choreographic odyssey where history is rewritten through pure movement. Mackenzy Bergile summons fragmented memories and ancestral legacies in a performance that demands your full attention. This is a must-see for anyone looking to feel the weight and beauty of identity through a modern, hypnotic dance language.
Mackenzy Bergile presents Autothérapie, a compelling solo choreography exploring the complexities of contemporary identities shaped by the legacies of African diasporas. Through a hybrid movement language, the artist examines memories of exile and displacement, drawing from Haitian, European, and American influences. Hosted at the Théâtre de la Bastille, this performance invites audiences to reflect on the historical traces embedded in our bodies today. Please note that this event is strictly for those aged 18 and over. Experience a unique artistic journey where movement serves as a powerful medium for memory, challenging traditional narratives through deep, personal introspection.
Taking place at the Théâtre de la Bastille, Mackenzy Bergile’s debut solo work, Autothérapie - Unbolting Colonial Statues from Our Consciousness, runs from Monday, January 25, 2027, to Wednesday, January 27, 2027. Each performance is scheduled from 20:00 to 21:20. Attendance is limited to guests aged 18 and above.
The choreography is deeply rooted in Haitian spiralism, a poetic approach that rejects linear history in favor of a narrative built on fragments, glides, and reminiscences. The performer’s body acts as a porous geography where the history of the transatlantic slave trade and the Haitian revolution intersect with modern migration. By blending the traditional Haitian Yanvalou dance with techniques from ballet and jazz, the artist creates a distinct physical vocabulary.
Through this piece, Mackenzy Bergile transforms history into a tangible presence. By navigating his identity across Haiti, Europe, and the United States, the artist allows long-suppressed figures and historical events to emerge on stage. These spectral presences serve to disrupt the present, creating a powerful experience that questions the statues of our consciousness.
