Dancing Mary, dancing the woman
Claudine Gerez & collaborators
The Marian vigils Danser Marie, danser la femme will be presented in several churches of the Beaujolais region from August 14 to 18 at 8:30 pm, beginning at Cenves Church. These evenings bring together song, dance, and prayer in honor of Mary, offering parishioners and visitors alike a luminous experience of devotion and artistic expression. The repertoire includes chants from different traditions — Gregorian, Byzantine, French, Lebanese, as well as works by Hildegarde of Bingen, alongside music such as The Mantle of the Virgin of Guadalupe.
Each vigil unfolds as a living celebration, blending tradition with creativity and inviting all into a space of communion and joy.
By Claudine Gérez (creator, performer, alto singer)
Tiffany Mc Swaker (performer, saprano singer)
Other collaborators: Monica Tomásu, Marie Fournier
Show technician: Serge Bulteau
Photographer: Fabrice Ferrer
Produced by L'Incandescente Compagnie
These performances grow out of a two-day retreat held in Cenves, a peaceful village of the Haut-Beaujolais surrounded by nature and blessed by a golden statue of the Virgin.
The retreat combines prayer, song, and dance as a way to explore Mary’s presence and the qualities she embodies—receptivity, compassion, and inner strength. Participants learn and practice the repertoire, experience moments of collective improvisation in Gregorian style, and discover how to let movement and voice become channels of contemplation.
This retreat, both meditative and expressive, prepares the ground for the Marian vigils, transforming inner reflection into a shared artistic and spiritual offering.
