Story of a swap

"Halfway between..."is a choreographic project inspired from the spontaneous strength of African hip hop dancers. This naive power doesn't exist without a reason, and raise some issues linked to the legitimacy of this art in a country where dance is part of life.

The first objective is to finish and perform the urban contemporary creation, developping workshops in schools and african instituts culture. In a wider view, we want to create partenerships with french structures to import the project and make an easier bridge between french and african artists.

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In Europe, these dancers coming from immigration find in hip hop certain dance values close to their original culture, unknown to them still. Therefore, they develop a dance with excellent technique, in an Occidental way, but usually cut from their instinct part.

In Africa, the approach is different because it is about acknowledgement. Material and human funds being difficult to reach, dancers develop a movement and crude energy to proof their legitimacy as artistic rather than social. Yet, their lack of technique, due to material conditions, prevent them from expressing clearly their dance to the audience.

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Theses reasons are our motivation in merging both ways, to exchange tools and mix every knowledge in a common creation.

The first idea was to make collaborate occidental experience with african creativity, but neither being an international choreographer and nor part of a big industry (with subsidised), we have no power to get grants and even less the necessaries visas!

Despite of that, we don't give up and still fighting and came up with another plan.

Another important fact introducing this project: the traditional relationship. African dances come from ancestral traditions whose hip hop is one of the distant cousin. So it is interesting to compare both movements through contemporary ways, searching similarities and creating combinations.

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Objectives

- 1st step: create a choreography for African dancers, and perform it different african cities. Organize discovering workshops in schools and cultural institut to wake up the consciences to Hip-hop feelings.

- 2nd step: create a collaboration with french structures to develop and help the intercultural exchanges between dancers of both countries.

Today, first step is work in progress. We already made the half creation for 4 dancers, with the wish to add one more. This sample has been realised at the CLAC in Dakar. Here is an extract:

"Halfway Between..." INTRODUCTION:

« Nio far…we are together »

In a time where concrete swamp the earth, our mind seems cut of our body. We search the place, lost between others judgement, ours, and the real.

In this creation, humans, all from the same culture, same customs. Their target? Be. Be special and a known person, but also being part of a whole.

For that, each one needs to accept his own place releasing his ego, recognising the other one and his value in a modern world: go forward together. They will find the peace, "halfway between" yesterday and tomorrow.

CIE COAST2COAST:

THE DANCERS:

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Hp Diop Ibax (Peter): specialist in top dance (New style, Popping, House...), skillful, perfectionist with a major advantage... precision.

Keïsha Essiane (Kaîsh'Ess): Dancehall and African traditional dancer. You will be surprise by her strenght and her gentleness.

Fitzgerald Mveang-Nzoghe (Fitz): New Style, Waaking, Jazzé or Salsa, Fitz make his movement very organic. Showmen, you'll be dazzle!

Claude Marius Gomis (Bboy Claude): The crawler of the group! Polyvalent breaker who has a soft spot for phases and originality in top rock.

THE CHOREOGRAPHER:

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Angélique Larqué (Angie): her motto "no risk no fun!!"

(read the biography below)

A special thank to Kader Nadjar ( artistic director of "L'Art du Mouvement") and CREATIQUE association

African Dancers Development