Malagasy dancer Julie Iarisoa blends traditional healing dances with contemporary choreography

Malagasy dancer Julie Iarisoa performed a contemporary dance project titled Rodo during the seventh Souffle de l’océan Indien festival in La Réunion.

Iarisoa uses the project to explore the connection between traditional healing dances and modern choreographic research. Her work focuses on two specific traditional dances from Madagascar: the Rodoringa from the south and the Rodona from the Center-East. These dances rely on movement energy and sound vibrations to facilitate healing.

Iarisoa transforms these ancestral practices into new artistic expressions to investigate how movement affects the mind and body. The artist views dance as a space for self-reconnection and well-being rather than just a physical performance. She also participated in a workshop at Ravine Blanche park in Saint-Pierre to combine her Maray technique-inspired choreography with hip-hop. The Lalanbik center organized these events to bring amateur and professional dancers together and promote the variety of dance styles across the Indian Ocean.