Compagnie Tilawcis - Les Flamboyants!

Flamboyants! blends the cultures of New Orleans, La Réunion, and Puerto Rico, drawing on the cultural and historical similarities of these regions, particularly Creole traditions and histories of colonization and marronage, the resistance to and self-liberation from enslavement. This ambitious production was born from a meeting between Florient Jousse and Big Chief Juan Pardo, an iconic figure of the Mardi Gras Indians of New Orleans. From a simple human connection, these artists, along with La Réunion musicians Frédéric Madia and Zélito Deliron and Puerto Rican musicians and activists Marién Torres Lopez and Ivelisse Diaz have forged a unique expression of “Créolité”, a fusion of the ancestral culture of the Mardi Gras Indians—with their chants, percussion, and dazzling costumes—with the maloya music of La Réunion and the bomba music of Puerto Rico. 

La Compagnie Tilawcis describes their performances as show-making without borders, places where various arts forms hybridize, unleash, and weave together again to create something mystical and spectacular. Beyond their shows, company members are committed to inspiring the ambition of young theatre students in La Réunion through their performances in many schools and conservatories. 

Performed in 4 languages (Créole, French, Spanish and English) with subtitles projected in English.

Tickets: Adults $25 in advance - $30 day of show - $10 for youth under 16

Macalester College Mainstage Theater, Janet Wallace Fine Arts Center 130 Macalester St. St Paul, MN 55105 

About the Playwright & Director

Florient Jousse is a playwright, director, and the artistic director of Compagnie Tilawcis, based on Réunion Island. His work blends documentary theater, music, and storytelling to explore identity, memory, and Creole cultures through international artistic collaborations. You can learn more about Comagnie Tilawcis at tilawcis.com.