RAMANENJANA – A public lecture about a dance epidemic

Simona Deaconescu (Romania)

Recommended for audiences 16+

Get Free Tickets


A public lecture featuring Romanian choreographer and filmmaker Simona. Deaconescu, discussing the creative process behind Ramanenjana, a performative docufiction about a dance that literally made history. Ramanenjana has been described in historical documents as a “choreomania” or “dance epidemic” in which more than 20,000 people danced with supernatural resistance from February to May. This little-known event began in 1863 in southern Madagascar with the arrival of French colonial forces, and spread like a pilgrimage (or a virus?) to Antananarivo, the political centre. The French withdrew, only returning in 1895.

What’s Next?

2025 Festival Lineup

January 20 – 31, 2025

$

An extraordinary lineup of shows, performances and experiences that inspire, entertain and provoke thought and conversation.

The 9th Annual Living Things International Arts Festival will be a spectacle of live theatre, performance art, dance and music.