JE VAIS ENTRER DANS UN PAYS

Throughout his life, Benoît-Joseph Labre (1748–1783) walked across Europe until he reached complete exhaustion. This wandering mystic, known as the Vagabond of God, “was an exceptionally gentle man. Simply being alive was enough for him. Looking at the sky, the rocks, the birds. Everything else meant nothing. He had no desire to rise above his condition. He had no wish to conquer anything.” He gave away to other poor people whatever he received through begging, keeping nothing for himself. A century after his death, he was canonised and became the patron saint of the homeless, beggars and pilgrims.

In « Je vais entrer dans un pays » (I Am Going to Enter a Country), writer Guillaume Marie revisits his story with remarkable clarity and restraint. It is the story of a solitude that first encounters universal rejection before, paradoxically, becoming an object of fascination. With subtlety, the narrative invites us to reflect on the meaning of our lives and on the values promoted by our society—money, success and recognition—as well as on the way we perceive poverty and those living on the margins. With great tenderness and a touch of humour, it gently dismantles many of the preconceived ideas that shape our lives.

In this duet, where storytelling, voice and dance intertwine, the work developed with choreographer Loïc Touzé explores the subtle relationships between bodies, their presence within space, and the resonances created between movement and speech.