TOI, MOI, TITUBA… to Make U.S. Premiere at New York Live Arts

New York Live Arts will welcome back Dorothée Munyaneza for her U.S. Premiere of Toi, moi, Tituba… based on French philosopher Elsa Dorlin's essay on Maryse Condé's heroine Tituba. The special occasion is presented by New York Live Arts, in association with BAM, L'Alliance New York's Crossing The Line Festival, and Villa Albertine. Performances will take place at the New York Live Arts Theater (219 West 19th Street, New York, NY 10011) Friday, October 23 at 7:30pm and Saturday, October 24 at 7:30pm.

As a Black woman and so-called witch, Tituba gives a voice to those who are silenced by force. Those erased from history. Inspired by this story, Dorothée Munyaneza uses her own body as a danced archive. She makes suppressed voices audible, visible and tangible once more. Toi, moi, Tituba… is a striking “collective solo” presenting a multiplicity of voices and perspectives converging in a single body, so no one is forgotten.

Starting from a body-archive capable of collecting and honouring memories, Munyaneza builds with composer Khyam Allami a living, sensitive, physical and corporeal archive. She brings together experiences born of the very dispersion. She turns her body into a fragment and a whole; a body that excavates a past of suffering and pain to celebrate, repair and commemorate. Her standing body prevents oblivion and erasure.

Based in Marseille, Dorothée Munyaneza is a multi-disciplinary artist using music, song, text and movement to deal with rupture as a dynamic force. Munyaneza draws from real stories seizing body, memory and our times to create a space of resonance. Originally from Rwanda, Dorothée Munyaneza moved to England with her family in the summer of 1994 at the age of 12. She trained at the Jonas Foundation in London, studied music and social sciences in Canterbury, before moving to France. In 2006, she met François Verret, and they collaborated on Sans Retour, Ice, Cabaret, and Do you remember, no I don't. Since then, other collaborations have included Radouan Mriziga, Alain Mahé, Jean-François Pauvros, Robyn Orlin, Ko Murobushi, Nan Goldin, Stéphanie Coudert, Rachid Ouramdane, Maud Le Pladec, Alain Buffard, Maya Mihindou and Ben LaMar Gay.

In 2013, Munyaneza founded the Kadidi company in Marseille. The company's repertoire includes Samedi Détente (2014), Unwanted (2017), Mailles (2020), a capella (2022), Toi, moi, Tituba… (2023), umuko (2024) and Version(s) (2025). In 2020, Dorothée Munyaneza translated Hopelessly Devoted by Kae Tempest (formerly known as Kate Tempest). Published by L'Arche Editeur, Inconditionnelles was staged by Dorothée in November 2024 at the invitation of the Bouffes du Nord in Paris. Munyaneza was the Associate artist at the Théâtre la Ville in– Paris from 2018 to 2021, and Dorothée is now associated with the Théâtre National de Chaillot and the Maison de la Danse and the Dance Biennale in Lyon. In 2024, she was awarded the Salavisa European Dance Award at the Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon.