salia
sanou
photos: marc coudrais
"Far
from the show, from composed and choreographed act, african dances are
to be read from past to present history as a social and meaningful act,
that is the foundation of communities on the continent. The dance of the
great ballets or its "mixed" variations which made the originality of
the programming around the world, also contributed to hide the richness
and the inventiveness of a quite different dance, the one we refer today
as African contemporary dance. How does the reading of these dances, anchored
in the past, nourished and preserved by our cultures teach us the present
and the future? Leave the stereotypes of a fixed choreographic tradition,
a restrictive image of a creative dance that draws meaning from the reading
of a rich African culture in constant evolution, such is my processes
as a choreograph."
salia sanou
In 1992, he joined the national choreographic center of Montpellier/Languedoc-Roussillon, directed by Mathilde Monnier, a company in which he performed in various choreographic works: "Pour Antigone", "Nuit", "Arrêtez, arrêtons, arrête", "Les lieux de là". Within the framework of sensitizing projects carried out by the national choreographic center on the topic "around Africa", Salia committed himself to activities taking place in schools - initiation to African tradition, dance, tales, songs and music from Burkina Faso. At the same time, Salia Sanou choreographed "The heritage", a piece that was awarded the first prize of performing art during the National Week of Culture (Semaine Nationale de la Culture) in Burkina Faso.
In 1992, Salia Sanou met Seydou Boro at UNEDO. Both, they created CREDO (dramatic exchange and research center). Auditioned and selected by Mathilde Monnier to be permanent dancers in her company, Salia Sanou and Seydou Boro created Company Salia nï Seydou, in 1994. The same year, they produced their first choreographic work, "The Century of fools", with which they were awarded the first national prize of the African contemporary dance contest organized by Afrique en créations (AFAA).
Salia and Seydou were also the prize winners of the second Choreographic meetings of Africa and the Indian Ocean, in Luanda and received the prize "découverte" R.F.I. in the performing arts category (1998), with "Figninto, the torn eye" produced in 1997 and choreographed by Seydou Boro. Within the framework of the international festival Montpellier Dance 2000, Salia Sanou choreographed "Taagalà, the traveler" with Seydou Boro as his assistant. In 2001, he made the choreography Kupupura for the Tumbuka Dance Company (national ballet of Mozambique). Finally in 2002, he made with Seydou Boro and Ousséni Sako the choreography of "Weeleni, the call", one of the most intimist works of the company, involving three dancers and four musicians originating from Morocco and Burkina Faso.
Since 2000, Salia Sanou is the artistic director of the Choreographic meetings of Africa and the Indian Ocean (AFAA). Within this framework, he carries out reflections and actions for the development of creative dance on the continent.
Since 2001, he is also the co-director of the Choreographic meetings of Ouagadougou, Dialogues de corps (the 5th edition was in 2004 and the 6th in 2006), a cultural and artistic event combining residences on choreographic writings, workshops, exhibitions, film shows and international meetings on the topic of dance programming.
For his choreographic work in France, Africa and everywhere else in the world, Salia Sanou was awarded in july 2002, from the French Government, the medal of Merit of Arts and Letters. He was also elected Artist of the year 2003 by the Intergovernmental Agency of the French-speaking world (AIF).
seydou boro
photos: marc coudrais
""We
do not break with our African inheritance. When attending our performances,
nobody can say that we lost or distorted ourselves. We just evolve in
another way. As Africans, we create".
seydou boro
Born
in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, he attended from 1990, a vocational artistic
training within the theater company, company Feeren. As an
actor and since 1991, he has among other things played roles in
"Marafootage", a play written by Amadou Bourou (first prize
at the International Theater Festival of Benin), then in "King Oedipus"
a play written by Sophocle and directed by Eric Podor. He played
a role in a film of Dani Kouyaté "L'héritage du griot" (a
film that was awarded a prize at the pan-African film festival of Ouagadougou),
and in "Le royaume du passage", a film by Nailed Eric (France/Zimbabwe).
In 1993, he joined the company of Mathilde Monnier in which he
performed in various choreographic works: "Pour Antigone", "Nuit",
""Arrêtez, arrêtons, arrête", "Les lieux de là". At the same time,
in 1991, he committed himself to sensitizing campaigns occurring
in schools in France and Burkina Faso with the young people of districts
through such activities as dance, drama and tales workshops.
In 1995, he wrote a tale for the company Cry d' Err, interpreted
by the students of Ulysse College. Seydou Boro assisted Salia Sanou in
the choreography of "The century of fools" (1994) (first national
prize of the African contemporary dance contest of Afrique en créations)
and with whom he created Company Salia nï Seydou. They are both
prize winners of the second meetings of African choreographic
creation in Luanda (Angola, April 1998) with the choreographic work
"Figninto, the torn eye" that he choreographed, assisted
by Salia Sanou (September 1997), as well as of the prize "découverte"
R.F.I. in the performing arts category (1998). The same year, Seydou
Boro played a role in a Franco-Greek film by Fotini, "Papadodyma".
Within the framework of the international festival Montpellier dance 2000,
he assisted Salia Sanou in the writing of his choreography "Taagalà,
the traveller" (June 27th and 28th), a choreography for four dancers
and two musicians. In 2002, he choreographed with Salia Sanou and
Ousséni Sako "Weeleni, the call", one of the most intimist works
of the company, involving three dancers and four musicians originating
from Morocco and Burkina Faso. In 2004, Seydou Boro made a come back with
an intimist solo "C'est à dire...", fifth creation of the company,
in which he questions his relation to dance, creation and Africa. He directed
two documentary films on African contemporary dance, "La rencontre"
(1999 - 52 mn) and "La danseuse d'ébène" (2002 - 56 mn). In 2004, he shot
five short films of dance fiction of 10 or 15 minutes each : "C'est ça
l'Afrique", "Visas", "Le cheval", "On s'en fou", " La fissure".
Since 2001, he is also the co-director of the Choreographic Meetings
of Ouagadougou Dialogues de corps (the 5th edition was in 2004
and the 6th in 2006), a cultural and artistic event combining residences
on choreographic writings, workshops, exhibitions, film shows and international
meetings on the topic of dance programming.
For his choreographic work in France, Africa and everywhere else in the
world, Seydou Boro was awarded in july 2002 from the French Government,
the medal of Merit of Arts and Letters. He was also elected Artist
of the year 2003 by the Intergovernmental Agency of the French-speaking
world.
At the same time, he went on working with Alphonse Thiérou, first director of the Dance Meetings of Africa and Indian Ocean. In 1995, in the purpose of cultural exchanges, the group went on tour in Lomé (Togo) with Mrs. Sodjaphe, then in France with the association "Demande-moi la lune".
In 1998, he auditioned for choreographer Irene Tassembédo and was selected as a dancer of the National Ballet of Burkina Faso. Thereafter, he worked with the choreographers Elsa Wolliaston and Mathilde Monnier and joined company salia nï seydou in 1999 as a dancer for the choreographic play Taagalà, the traveller.
Since then, Ousseni shares his artistic life between the creations of company salia nï seydou and company Kongo Ba Téria with which he won the 3rd prize of the Dance Meetings of Africa and Indian Ocean in 2001 with the choreographic piece VI Neem that he co-signed with Lassina Coulibaly.
In 2002, Salia Sanou and Seydou Boro confide to him a solo writing for their fourth creation Weeleni, the call . Lastly in 2004, he created his first choreographic piece alone, the solo "Sindi, shut up", presented in the 2004 edition of the festival "Dialogues de Corps" in Ouagadougou.