Ramanenjana is a witty, captivating docufiction performance about a dance event that made history. 

In Malagasy, Ramanenjana means something that makes you rigid but also makes you strong, but the dance was pathologized, labeled part of a “dance epidemic” by historians. In fact, the mass dance is rooted in a sacred ritual performed by thousands of people in reaction to Western and Christian influence. 

In Madagascar in 1863, thousands of people danced in the capital city for weeks to drums, as if hallucinating. This intriguing show examines the conflicting accounts to demonstrate how colonialism may have spread misconceptions about the extraordinary movement and raises important questions about the role of dance in society.

Informed by years of research, Ramanenjana blends reality and speculation, archived documents and contemporary testimonies, physical gesture and ecstatic motion.

Working closely, choreographer and filmmaker Simona Deaconescu, dance artist and activist Gaby Saranouffi, ethnomusicologist Olombelo Ricky, and mentor-choreographer Mathilde Monnier explore contradictory testimonies about dance, disease, and revolution are commented on.