After several stops along the way, the Nomads’ Laboratory returns to Arles.
Here, we speak the borderless language of bodies in motion—the language of nomads. It is the language that has been part of humanity since prehistoric times, just as it has been since early childhood: movement as a way of life.
We invite you to follow in the footsteps of the nomads. In a dizzying era—marked by massive fires, collapses, isolation, chronic violence, and precariousness—the Nomads’ Laboratory offers, amid these turbulent times, a space that defies the trend, where we can share ways to navigate uncertainty.
Nomads orient themselves by the sun, the seasons, and the rivers. They teach us to reconnect with our biorhythms and to reinvent seasonal rituals. The Nomads’ Laboratory’s calendar is organized around two key moments: the transition from fall to winter, and the transition from winter to spring.
The “Our Dead” residency kicks off the fall–winter 2026 season in the Arles region. A few days to take the time to listen to our individual and collective dead, to observe the shortening of the days and the lengthening of the shadows, to provoke the unexpected.
The residency takes place in the Parade Hall, in the Roquette neighborhood, and outdoors: in the city, at the cemetery, along the banks of the Rhône… It is an invitation to embark on a journey for the people of Arles—both men and women—and for those coming from elsewhere: Brussels, Paris, Portugal, Spain, and other regions…In the spirit of encounter and discovery of a land from within, we have set up an affordable program that encourages lodging with local residents.
Who are we?
Carolina Morais Fonseca is a nomad: she dances her life, and her life is a journey. She speaks many languages, including the mysterious language of the duende; she possesses the art of blending the sacred and the profane through movements that are at once ancient, collective, and contemporary. She has devoted her entire life to the in-depth study of dance, the body, and space. She bridges the worlds of the Romani, Gypsies, and nomads, from Central Asia to India, passing through Europe…
Salima Brahimi is, above all, an educator. She has a talent for empowering everyone to take ownership of their own environment. Having experienced exile and uprooting in her childhood, Salima feels a deep need to help people feel at home in what they have built. She has extensive experience in institutional education. From homework centers to rock-climbing classes and dance, she instills the “duende.”
And myself, your third guide. I’ll offer tools to reveal what lies hidden. After a journey of more than 10 years in dance, I have woven the duende and the life art process into my writing and my life along the way. And that is what I now wish to share in turn, with the creation of the Laboratoire des Nomades.
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Pauline de La Boulaye
movements – spaces – narratives – rituals
welcome!
– to anyone who is curious, with no specific prior training and no identity boundaries,
– to artists, teachers, therapists, researchers, and apprentices from all disciplines,
– in French; translation into English or Spanish is available.
