SIGUIFIN - COMPAGNIE AMALA DIANOR
THE MAGICAL CREATURE OF AMALA DIANOR

WHEN 13.05.2022 FROM 19:30 TO 20:25
WHERE BORIS HRISTOV HOUSE OF CULTURE
TICKETS HTTPS://EPAYGO.BG/

One stage, nine performers. A collective choreographic creation, SIGUIFIN features the work of three young choreographers from West Africa, under the artistic direction of Amala Dianor – Alioune Diagne (Sénégal), Naomi Fall (Mali) and Ladji Koné (Burkina Faso).
SIGUIFIN by Compagnie Amala Dianor is a Big Pulse Dance Alliance Commission, coproduced by Julidans (Netherlands), New Baltic Dance (Lithuania), Dublin Dance Festival (lreland), Tanz im August/HAU Hebbel am Ufer (Germany), Dance Umbrella (UK), CODA Oslo International Dance Festival (Norway), ONE Dance Week (Bulgaria) and presented by Zodiak – Side Step Festival (Finland),), International Dance Festival TANEC PRAHA (Czech Republic), Torinodanza Festival (ltaly), co-funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union.

SIGUIFIN:

“Siguifin means “magical monster” in the Bambara language. This new work is the result of a collective choreographic process inspired by the game of Exquisite cadaver (a game involving the drawing of parts of the body, or combining words) to construct a magical, multi-faceted being.

Research led by Naomi Fall on the dancers’ individualities and questions which will develop from this meeting of young people from the three countries, and will then allow Ladji Koné to position the dancers and their personalities against each other through a creative process based on mutual listening and group cohesiveness. Then Alioune Diagne will explore the dancers’ cultures and these 3 neighbouring countries since they are not at all similar.

The texture of each creator’s dancing will be the bridge between all these parts of the work. Based on the mixing of the movement vocabularies, which will have been developed in the creation residencies, I will then create a through-line, a canvas that connects yet also respects the three choreographic proposals, building that unique, magical being. I will also be interested in the young artists, channelling this question: what is their present, and what future will they build together in dialogue with the world?

A cooperative project for young dancers

The idea of an ENCOUNTER is more than ever an essential component of my work in this project, which includes three choreographers from West Africa: Alioune Diagne who is based in Saint Louis in Sénégal; Naomi Fall, from the Blonba Cultural Center in Bamako, Mali; and Ladji Koné who is an artist in residence at the Termitière, the CDC of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. They are invited to co-create a work for 9 young African dancers. The dancers were selected in each country by the 3 choreographers, all have a laudable strength and an overwhelming drive to express themselves — which seem vital, necessary for the stage work. I am hoping to offer the audience the possibility of vibrating, feeling along with the dancers and their energy: all of them live their dance quite fiercely. 

Siguifin is first of all a collective choreographic creation that will introduce a new generation of artists, choreographers and dancers, players in a new, prolific artistic landscape, set in West Africa. With this project, I intend to promote the talents and diversity of these young dancers from Mali, Burkina Faso and Sénégal.  

Siguifin is also a step toward my intent to offer opportunities to these young talented dancers and choreographers to come to West Africa for the creation residencies and the premiere, then later to come to France – and I hope elsewhere in Europe and around the world. Travelling in order to dance, crossing borders to experience the stages of this deliberately plural creative process, then the chance to encounter different audiences – all of these are important milestones in their artistic journeys as dancers. Experiencing this reinforces their vocations, and helps to drive forward their careers.” – Amala Dianor

AMALA DIANOR:
After starting out as a hip hop dancer, Amala Dianor entered the prestigious CNDC school in Angers (in the class of 2002). He then performed for 10 years as a dancer with a number of choreographers in very different worlds, including hip hop, neo-classical, contemporary and Afro-contemporary. In 2012, he founded his own company, and his dance style and vocabulary were immediately identifiable: sliding from one technique to another with ease and virtuosity, with a hybrid approach to shape, and a poetic approach to the issue of ‘otherness’. Since he created his first solo Man Rec in 2014, he has worked in close collaboration with the electro-soul composer Awir Léon, who has written the original music for his pieces. He also often collaborates with other choreographic artists, composers, writers and plasticians …

In 2019, he created his first major work for nine dancers to whom he taught his special blend of styles and techniques; the work was called The Falling Stardust and is currently touring. In 2020, he prepared at Maison de la Danse in Lyon, the trio Point Zéro, which he will perform with his dancer/ choreographer friends Johanna Faye and Mathias Rassin. During the period of theatre closing, he co-writes dance short-movies with the visual artist Grégoire Korganow. He has also committed to training pre-professional dancers in France and then in Western Africa with his project Siguifin, a collective creation for nine dancers and three countries, with the choreographers Ladji Koné, Alioune Diagne and Naomi Fall, and the work will premiere at Suresnes Cités Danse in 2022.

• Production: Cie Amala Dianor / Kaplan, sustained by French State – DRAC Pays de la Loire, Pays de la Loire Region, Town of Angers. Since 2020, it is receiving the support of BNP Paribas Fondation. Amala Dianor is associated artist to Touka-Danse, CDC of Guyane (2021-2024) and Théâtre de Macon (2021-24) and Quinconces-Espale, scène nationale Le Mans (2021-2024).
• Partners: Association Diagn’art – Alioune Diagne, Festival Fari Foni Waati – Naomi Fall, Collectif JUMP – Ladji Koné
• Coproduction: Théâtre de Suresnes-Jean Vilar; Atelier de Paris / CDCN; POLE-SUD, CDCN Strasbourg; Institut français de Dakar, Sénégal; Centre chorégraphique national de Rennes et de Bretagne; Centre de la danse Pierre Doussaint Grand Paris Seine et Oise;
• Commission Europe Creative: Siguifin is a Big Pulse Dance Alliance Commission, coproduced by Julidans (Netherlands), New Baltic Dance (Lithuania), Dublin Dance Festival (Ireland), Tanz im August/HAU Hebbel am Ufer (Germany), Dance Umbrella (UK), CODA Oslo International Dance Festival (Norway), One Dance Week (Bulgaria) and presented by Zodiak – Side Step Festival (Finland),), International Dance Festival TANEC PRAHA (Czech Republic), Torinodanza Festival (Italy), co-funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union
• With the support of: French State – DRAC Pays de la Loire / Pays de la Loire Region Francophonie / French Institute  / ONDA
• Residencies: CDC la Termitière, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso; Institut Français de Bamako et Blomba, Bamako, Mali; Institut Français de Dakar et Le Château, Saint-Louis, Sénégal 
• Photos: Laurent Philippe & portraits by Jérôme Bonnet 

ONE DANCE WEEK is the largest forum in Bulgaria, dedicated entirely to contemporary dance. The festival started in 2008 and since 2017 is part of the Plovdiv ECoC 2019 programme. The 13th edition of the International Festival of Contemporary Dance and Performance ONE DANCE WEEK in 2021 is implemented as part of the Legacy programme.

ONE DANCE WEEK presents in Plovdiv some of the most interesting and significant performers and practices in the field of contemporary dance from the world. The programme of the festival presents companies and choreographers who provoke the audience with a different and diverse range of ideas.

The 14th edition, planned for May - June 2022, plans on performances from France, Norway, Portugal, Canada, Korea.

The trend of expanding the scope of the already known format of the festival with "country in focus" continues and in 2022 the spotlight is focused on Portugal.

The festival programme will also feature premieres produced within the large-scale European project BIG PULSE, of which One Dance Week is part as the only representative from the Balkans among European dance festivals.

The 2022 edition takes further steps for sustainability and development of the new multi-channel digital platform ONE FOR ALL, which launched in mid-2020 continues to create quality online content - texts, podcasts, videos. A number of events are programmed to take place throughout the year - lectures presented by leading figures in the field of contemporary dance; workshops led by choreographers who will visit Plovdiv; rich online content that presents the most significant contemporary dance artists "behind the scenes" or with their performances.

The programme will be soon announced.

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International Festival of Contemporary Dance and Performance ONE DANCE WEEK (2022) - implemented by Foundation ONE for Culture and Arts. The project is part of the Legacy 2 programme of Plovdiv 2019.