For an hour this Thursday, October 15, Levent Beskardès and Aurore Corominas created a timeless bubble at the International Visual Theatre during the performance of Poèmes du silence. The mesmerizing signs of Levent Beskardès and the sweet voice of Aurore Corominas have given life to many poems by sharing with the public their complicity, their good humor and their generosity.
A journey from sign language to voice
The first part of the show is punctuated by several poems created by Levent Beskardès directly in French sign language. Everything is done to make the show accessible to as many people as possible. Before starting the first poems, Levent Beskardès and Aurore Corominas teach the audience a few words in sign language to allow spectators discovering Deaf culture to understand the main thing. Then the poems follow one another, sometimes signed by Levent Beskardès and translated just after by Aurore Corominas, sometimes interpreted by them both at the same time. The poetry is both poignant, like the poem Kosovo, and mesmerizing, as in the poem The Sea, but always very touching and very inventive in the way the signs marry each other. 
Sign language interpretation of written poems
The second part of the show is also introduced by teaching the audience signs corresponding to colors and gives way to interpretation in haiku sign language. Haikus are small Japanese poems of three verses, first read by Aurore Corominas, then translated into sign language by Levent Beskardès. Funny and touching, the haikus are followed by poems by Nazim Hikmet. After presenting the poet and performing a first poem, the duo closes the performance with emotion by signing and reading together the poem Legend of legends. 
Signed poems on paper
The Poèmes du silence were followed by a session of exchanges with the public, during which Levent Beskardès, Aurore Corominas and Pénélope presented two books: Amour… Red and Dove… White. Published by Éditions des Grandes Personnes, they were designed by Levent Beskardès and Pénélope. The two collections of poems in sign language unfold to gain fluency in reading, each side being marked by its own color: blue, red, white and black. Levent Beskardès is also one of the poets whose creations can be found in the collection of poems Les mains fertiles, a poetic anthology published by Bruno Doucey. This book created by Brigitte Baumié brings together poems by fifty poets, created or translated into French sign language. A DVD accompanies the book and allows you to watch Levent Beskardès signing his poem V and to hear Michel Thion read it. Poems of Silence is a unique poetry show, which distills with passion dream, love of languages, others and life.
