Lupus Dance Narrative
By Ludovic Jolivet

It was difficult for me to create a dance piece about lupus disease for the same reason physicians have a difficult time with the diagnosis of this disease: there are many symptoms and many organs that can be affected by this disease. Also I did not want to portray the disease itself, as physicians would certainly do a better job than me with words.

I was more interested in looking at how people's lives were affected by this disease, the impact on their social lives and their relationship with other people, family and friends. Listening to women talking about how lupus affected their lives really reached me. Their testimony was what truly guided me through and inspired me during the process of creating this dance work. I felt their frustration and pain in not being able to realize dreams as simple as playing with their children because of the physical pain and fatigue caused by lupus. They are struggling every day of their lives, crying deep inside, without being heard.

Using the dance form I tried to bring out this inside struggle, the frustration, the isolation, but also show their dreams and hope. I tried to convey through the movement both the feeling of caring and struggle at the same time, through slow and soft movement qualities but yet heavy and oppressing. I also tried to bring out this struggle by having a woman moving very slowly while other people around her were moving fast. This contrast in time also conveyed the idea of a woman left behind, left alone, and the feeling of isolation, which I felt was important. The people surrounding her were living her dreams, dreams she wanted to grab on but could not reach.