After our meeting with Carolyn Occellithe new director of Suresnes Cities Dancelet’s take a closer look at this 2023 edition of this hip hop festival. With three choreographers, known to the general public or not, to follow particularly. Mehdi Kerkouche, That’s it et Amalia Hall do not necessarily already have a long series of pieces to their credit. But their universe, often forged on TV sets and in online creations, arouses curiosity. Focus on their journey and their proposal to Suresnes cités danse.
Mehdi Kerkouche and his creation Portrait
We saw it – All over ! Choreographer for TV shows, films, accompanying pop artists on stage, creating videos during confinement or his charity operation #ondansechezvous… It was hard to miss Mehdi Kerkouche the past three years. Yet we know not much of his work on set. In 2017, he founded his company Emka and toured with his play Dabkeh. But the health crisis is blocking its progress. And yes, his creation for the Paris Opera Ballet, was only presented online. His new creation Portraitshown at the opening of Suresnes Cités Danse, is all the more eagerly awaited, especially since he has been director of the CCN de Créteil since January 1st.
His room Portrait – Mehdi Kerkouche bends over the family legacy. “It is through the crazy bodies of a tribe of offbeat pop dancers that he gives us his version. Happy, embarrassing, toxic, absent family? How to get out of it or on the contrary take refuge there? How do you assert your individuality in a family culture that could determine everything? They are a whole tribe on the set“.
Portrait by Mehdi Kerkouche
Leïla Ka and her three short pieces It might be, make yourself beautiful et It’s you we adore
We saw her – At 104 in Paris where Leïla Ka is an associate artist and where she presented in 2022, as part of the Séquence Danse festival, her solo make yourself beautiful. A rich year for the choreographer, who received the Choreographic Revelation Prize from the Syndicat de la critique and won the Danse Expandée competition at the Théâtre de la Ville. However, Leïla Ka did not wait for these awards to tour a lot since 2018first with his solo Can it be then his duet It’s you we adore.
His evening – The programming of Suresnes Cités Danse therefore makes it possible to see the three pieces of this talented choreographere, which together form a coherent trilogy, like so many portraits of powerful women in the face of the forces that want to deprive them of their freedom. “Leïla Ka gives life to different female figures in the grip of deep struggles and shares with us a formidable quest for freedom“. And we should find her again for the 2024 edition with her first long piece.
make yourself beautiful of Leila Ka
Amalia Salle and her play franked
We saw her – In her dance studio Paris Can Dance, multifaceted structure to develop the pedagogy of dance and hip hop culture, notably through numerous courses for all. It is moreover as a dance teacher thatAmalia Hall started his career, before getting noticed in France has an unbelievable talent in 2012 and to link projects. We were able to see her first short pieces at the Sobanova Dance Awards Competition, which she won in 2021, or at the Kalypso festival with The Vivaldinescarried by his company Bahia founded in 2019.
His room franked – Sacred bet for Amalia Salle! Because franked is her first one hour piece. On stage, five dancers mix hip hop and contemporary dance to bring “his choreographic plea on the necessity and the complexity of being. In the vibration of the dance, all the emotions of this questioning are there: rage, sweetness, frustration, love“. All about the Four Seasons by Vivaldi.
franked by Amalia Salle
The Suresnes Cités Danse festival from January 6 to February 5
Portrait of Mehdi Kerkouche – From January 6 to 8
Evening Leïla Ka – January 21 and 22
Freed from Amalia Salle – January 21 and 22