the young people of Seine-Saint-Denis do not shy away

Reporting On June 23, ahead of the Olympic Games, more than 1,000 young people from Seine-Saint-Denis will embark on a major artistic parade between Pantin and Aubervilliers. Behind the scenes report from a rehearsal made difficult by the rainy weather.

Wednesday May 29, La Courneuve, Parc Georges-Valbon. The mines are discomfited. It has been raining continuously since the morning. “ We almost didn’t come because of the weathercomments Myuri, a student in a music timetable class (CHAM) at the Georges-Politzer college in La Courneuve. It’s already super difficult to carry percussion and walk with it, so in the rain… But we’re here! »

For two years now, Myuri and his comrades have been preparing for a big parade entitled: We’re not going to run away! On June 23, as part of the Cultural Olympiad, this program which accompanies the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, she will parade with a thousand young people from Seine-Saint-Denis along a 1.5 km route between Pantin and Aubervilliers. An ambitious project organized by eight cultural centers in Seine-Saint-Denis including La Commune (Aubervilliers), La MC93 (Bobigny), the Houdremont cultural center and the Maison des Jonglages (La Courneuve). After Covid 19, these subsidized establishments found themselves greatly weakened. Faced with the situation, they decided to unite around a collective called La Beauté du Geste.

Each cultural venue provides one of the eight portions of the parade and has carte blanche for the staging. The idea is to implement collective work that integrates groups of young people, professional artists and associative and educational partners. “ We wanted to create an event in which young people would be the actors. », insists Vincent Bérault, director of the Maison des Jonglages.

The process matters more than the result

Today, 212 middle and high school students from La Courneuve come together for the first dress rehearsal. “ It is a challenge to mobilize these young people over the long term around a cultural project, confides Pauline Simon, director of the Houdremont cultural center in La Courneuve. The first challenge is that they are present on June 23. This morning, we only have half of the group. » To direct the segment that will represent the city, Pauline Simon joined forces with Vincent Bérault, from the Maison des Jonglages. The latter adds: “ What matters to us is the process more than the result. The project alone must be a celebration for these young people. » Guillemette Lott, director of the public center La Commune, agrees: “ The idea was to be able to integrate them into an artistic collective in order to continue the process of cultural democratization. It is also an opportunity to make the youth of Seine-Saint-Denis visible outside the territory. »

For the La Courneuve project, Vincent Bérault and Pauline Simon opted for a hybrid composition. The procession is led by a float on which the young people perform acrobatic figures. Followed by around fifty percussionists in charge of the batucada, this Brazilian musical genre practiced in groups during major festivals. At the back of the pack: a giant articulated octopus, with bulging eyes, juggling large colorful balloons. During the rehearsal, the procession takes the form of a happy bazaar. The rain doesn’t help anything. We must protect the instruments, avoid slipping…

“Adapt” to their constraints

“ Circassians, come and listen to the batucada! And then you swap roles! » Equipped with his megaphone, red cap screwed on his head, Olivier Pasquet, tries to bring the crowd together. He came from Loir-et-Cher (41) with part of his circus collective to mobilize these young people. Alongside the clown and juggler Nikolaus, he provided artistic direction for the project during around ten workshops. “ Sometimes it’s discouraging, we interrupt rehearsals because we struggle to keep their attention for more than half an hour, he recognizes. We are less than a month away from the parade and we have accomplished 1% of what we want to do. »

In total, the young people from La Courneuve were supervised by twelve speakers. “ This is half as much as for cities with large cultural centers, such as Bobigny. For us, it was more restrictive to carry out all these workshops”, observes Pauline Simon, director of the Houdremont center.

Bobigny’s MC93 made the ambitious choice of presenting three different segments, each headed by a director. Dalida Belaza, dancer and choreographer, supervises two groups. On the one hand, the young girls from the ACB Danse de Bobigny, accustomed to modern jazz competitions every weekend. On the other, the young people of the city’s Red Cross, some of whom have never danced. The latter are mostly unaccompanied minors, waiting for papers, and living in emergency accommodation. Their daily life does not always allow for rehearsals.

For Margault Chavaroche, director of the public center of MC93, it is necessary to listen and find solutions. “It has happened several times that the Red Cross nurse or psychologist with whom I work calls me explaining that there is an emergency in the field and that she is not able to to support young people. And if they’re not there, they won’t come. Because they don’t necessarily have that autonomy. You have to adapt. » She insists on the need to be in very close contact with the social partners who are for the most part very involved in the region.

Driving enthusiasm

Collaborating with social partners is also the choice that director Thierry Thieû Niang made when accepting this project. He wanted to work with young people with disabilities from the Bobigny medical-educational center, all of whom have cognitive disabilities. No choreography can therefore be fixed. The choreographer managed to establish regularity by visiting them very often at the center and thus making a joint rehearsal possible. They are also accompanied by eight students in Staps training (sciences and techniques of physical and sporting activities) who serve as benchmarks for them. The enthusiasm of the young people is such that the organizers have no worries for the big day.

A feeling shared by Vlaïllitch Tuffa, professor of percussion, who works at the Georges-Politzer college in La Courneuve. He is also the musical director of the parade. “ A few days ago, we rehearsed during the city’s annual primary school cross country. I really felt it motivated them to see what the finished project would look like in front of an audience. » Vlaïllitch Tuffa is even considering repeating the experience in the years to come. “ When there are big events like these, I have noticed that the students are always more motivated in the following years, it helps to give meaning to their work. » Hargun, a student in the class, proudly announces: “ When I play, I feel strong and powerful, I am supported by the group. Thanks to the Olympic Games, the whole world will know that we know how to play the batucada “. Seine-Saint-Denis has therefore not finished making noise.

◗ La Beauté du Geste brings together 8 major places for creating and disseminating live entertainment in Seine-Saint-Denis: the Montreuil Public Theater; the Théâtre de La Commune in Aubervilliers; the Gérard Philipe Theater in Saint-Denis; the Louis Aragon Theater in Tremblay-en-France; Espace 1789 in Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine; the Maison des Jonglages Jean Houdremont Cultural Center in La Courneuve; the National Dance Center in Pantin; and the Maison de la Culture de Seine-Saint-Denis in Bobigny.