AKZAK
VIADANSE
To the rhythm of one and the multiple
‘Creolisation’ refers to a social process of the mutual enrichment of previously separate cultures, at the end of which a new culture emerges. For almost thirty years, Héla Fattoumi and Éric Lamoureux have been pursuing this approach, which revolves around the dialogue between the global North and the global South and the search for new approaches - in art and in life.
Diverse identities come together in this captivating dance theatre evening. The dancers are from Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Sri Lanka, Madagascar and France. They are all very different, but manage to come together on stage to create something new. Concepts such as hospitality, fellowship and solidarity across national borders characterise the evening.
But the sensual core of this production remains the rhythm by Xavier Desandre Navarre, a virtuoso percussionist who makes the bodies dance on stage. The title ‘Akzak’ is derived from the Turkish aksak, an irregular rhythm that disrupts what we perceive as ‘the rule’ and ‘the normal’. It emphasises the ‘in-between’. A rhythm of dancing and singing bodies, of music and flashes of light, revealing hidden images and reminding us of bitter realities - a powerful counterpoint to the joyful dynamics of the group.
We can learn from this rhythm that perhaps it is precisely there - in the in-between - that things happen which really matter if we want to find our common ground despite all our differences. AKZAK - the beat is on!
Since founding their dance company VIADANSE in 1990, Héla Fattoumi and Éric Lamoureux have consistently followed their own path. Their first creation Husaïs, which won the prize for the best first choreography at the Bagnolet International Dance Competition in 1990, followed by the trio Après-midi, which was awarded the prize for new talents in dance by the SACD (Société des Auteurs et Compositeurs Dramatiques), earned them recognition.
Their work deals artistically with processes of ‘othering’, with the need to question the boundaries, the framework, the contours of identity and all forms of attributes, which led them to engage with readings by authors such as the contemporary philosopher Édouard Glissant.
AKZAK was born in the midst of the COVID 19 pandemic. In September 2020, it premiered at the International Festival of Francophonie Les Zébrures d'Automne in Limoges and gained national and international attention until the end of 2022. Given its success and the fact that the piece's foreign dancers have settled in France, Héla Fattoumi & Éric Lamoureux have decided to continue this artistic adventure. It will be interesting to see how the group's story continues.
Credits
Choreography: Héla Fattoumi - Éric Lamoureux
Dancers: Sarath Amarasingam, Meriem Bouajaja, Juliette Bouissou, Mohamed Chniti, Chourouk El Mahati, Mohamed Fouad, Mohamed Lamqayssi, Johanna Mandonnet, Angela Vanoni
Music composition and interpretation: Xavier Desandre Navarre
Scenography – visual artist collaborator: Stéphane Pauvret
Light Design: Jimmy Boury
Costume Designer: Gwendoline Bouget
Costume Design Assistant Bérénice Fischer
Technical Director: Thierry Meyer
Sound Manager: Valentin Maugain
Light Manager: Manon Bongeot
Costume Manager: Hélène Oliva
COPRODUCTION with, MA scène nationale - Pays de Montbéliard, GRRRANIT SN Belfort, Scène nationale Châteauvallon-Liberté Le Théâtre, scène nationale de Mâcon and Théâtre Jean Vilar, Vitry-sur-Seine
AKZAK was labelled AFRICA 2020 in the framework of the season Africa 2020 of the French Institute in the honouring of the contemporary African creation.
In collaboration with La Termitière, CDC à Ouagadougou et La formation Nafass, Marrakech
WITH THE SUPPORT OF the Instituts français of Burkina Faso, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt the Institut français Paris, the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie and the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs - DAECT (Délégation à l'Action Extérieure des Collectivités Action Extérieure des Collectivités Territoriales) as part of the decentralised cultural cultural cooperation project between the towns of Belfort and Ouagadougou, and the Conseil régional de Bourgogne Franche-Comté as part of the international solidarity scheme.