Traces of Gounouj

Léo Lérus

North American Premiere

Oct 3 at 12:30pm, 2:00pm and 3:30pm
(Rain date Oct 4)

Runtime: 20 min. No intermission.
Age recommendation: 10+

Co-presented with Governors Island Arts’ INTERVENTIONS Performance Series

This special site-specific short performance brings together dancers Asha Thomas and Robert Cornejo in an intimate duet that offers a sensitive lecture on communication across generations. By placing these two artists at distinct, contrasting moments in their lives and careers, the choreography becomes a living conversation where maturity and youth meet. Their physical dialogue navigates the deep-seated difficulties of finding balance, letting the human relationship play out directly within the environment around them.  

While this duet is drawn from excerpts of Gounouj In Situ, it stands as a window into the core themes of Léo Lérus’s broader choreographic work. His practice frequently draws inspiration from the Gwoka tradition and the lush natural beauty of his native Guadeloupe, exploring the island’s natural and cultural ability to adapt to change. Through his movement research, Lérus explores environments in a delicate natural balance and examines how that equilibrium is altered by contemporary input.  

By weaving these ideas into the duet, the performance reflects the complex mix of feelings around environmental preservation—using the movement of two different generations to juxtapose disappointment and anger with an enduring hope and a shared movement toward a positive future.

This site-specific adaptation was imagined during Lérus’ Villa Albertine residency in New York City in July 2026.

Photo credits: © Philippe Virapin

Tickets are FREE. Reservations required.