From Itampolo to Assassins Bay, covering nearly 500 km, I set out to meet the Vezo people, kings of the seas of southwestern Madagascar, to explore their relationship with the ocean. This series of black-and-white triptychs is part of a photographic documentary and contemporary writing project on the Big Island, “Vezo, Against the Tide – When Leaving Is No Longer an Option.” Living in harmony with the sea and the natural elements, balance is an essential part of Vezo culture, from their canoes to the fishing resources available to them. But what lies behind the sand dunes shaped by these waves? In the hollows of these ephemeral mountains, the Vezo people redefine, out of necessity and obligation, the impermanence of their lives. The sails dance in the wind, the sea rocks the canoes, and the fishermen sing of their love for the sea. A completely different choreography is performed even before the waves are tamed — that of the fingers, of the hands, of the being who becomes one with the net. A child, sitting on the ground, watches… A child, alongside his father, practices… a skill that requires dedication, patience, and repetition. A knowledge passed down from generation to generation for millennia. It is not the traditional dance of the Vezo, unlike that of other ethnic groups. Their dance is one in which their bodies embrace silk, fabric, or now plastic — a dance of skin and material. A choreography performed alone, but above all as a group. People talk, listen to each other, observe one another in order to move in harmony and build together what will soon nourish them. This series presents the traditional design of Vezo fishermen’s nets as a choreographed work of art. Like a ballet, these singular and unique movements reveal the fragility and sensitivity associated with a changing world and a changing nature. Movements, practices, and stories to be preserved.