EROL JOSUÉ

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This larger-than-life artist, charismatic aesthete, singer and dancer, actor and practicing houngan (Vodou priest), still living in Haiti, embodies, much like the Vodou spirits that dwell within him, a singular collision of times and geographies.

Backed by a powerful ensemble of musicians, each a character in their own right, starting with Jean-François Pauvros, a minimalist punk guitarist in his seventies, he alternates between relentless groove and incantation. His body and his voice dissolve the codified boundaries between music and choreography into a complete spectacle, a taking possession of space and time. His many devoted fans know this well: whether through original compositions, reimagined traditional Vodou songs, peasant contredanses, intimate melodies, or the surprising detours of a storyteller steeped in French chanson, every performance is a singular experience.

A mosaic personality, perpetually renewed through his migrations… In October 2012, Erol Josué was appointed Director General of the Bureau National d'Ethnologie in Haiti. His role as a steward of Vodou's intangible heritage is far from at odds with his work on stage, on the contrary, it feeds it: with serenity and intelligence, with humor and an organic wholeness.