Update from Qudus' blog

Feb 10, 2008

Le Sacre du Printemps on US tour

Heddy Maalem talks about being in Lagos, Nigeria, preparing the work that would become Black Spring. In the bustle and clamor of this African New York, a city of 12 million inhabitants, he heard echoing inside his head bits of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring.

In 1913 in Le Sacre du Printemps (Rite of Spring), Igor Stravinsky brought us life through the spasms of a killing, the death of a young girl burned in a “primitive” ritual. Today we know that Stravinsky’s score was the foreshadowing of a war which lasted four years. It is also said that the work by Nijinsky and Stravinsky was an emblematic combination of the barbarism and modernity of the twentieth century. Jacques Rivière in his review of Sacre in September 1913, asked if Stravinsky’s piece instead of evoking things, confirms them, that Nijinsky’s choreography made the dance less interesting than the movement. In any case, Rivière spoke of Sacre’s score as “without effusion,” its “limited music,” its way of “direct, deliberate expression.” This is also part of Heddy Maalem’s choreography -- straightforward, devoid of unnecessary prettiness, without artifice, all driving toward one goal, the “desire to express something to the letter.”

Le Sacre du Printemps

The ensemble of dancers assembled for Le Sacre du Printemps are trained in both contemporary dance and the traditional dance forms of their respective countries of origin. Le Sacre du Printemps is the final part of a trilogy of dances including: Black Spring(2000), which deals with the recurring question of identity and perception of the African body, andL'Ordre de la Bataille (2002), which questions the meaning of existence in a war-torn world. Heddy Maalem collaborated with award-winning filmmaker Benoit Dervaux on each of the three parts of the Trilogy.

 

Fourteen utterly distinctive dancers from Nigeria, Mali, Benin and Senegal have come together for Heddy Maalem's explosive interpretation of Stravinsky'Le Sacre du PrintempsMaalem’s Sacre—furious and bold, straight forward and without artifice—is placed in urban Africa and inspired by the choreographer’s time in Lagos, Nigeria. Highly dynamic dance sequences and overwhelming group scenes are interlaced with intense scenes of silence and atmospheric film projections that provide provocative contrast to the music. Again and again, the male and female dancers—each one urgent and unflinching—melt into one unit, pulsating with energy.

Le Sacre du Printemps has had more than 100 performances throughout France, Portugal, Italy, Germany,

Poland, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Spain and Tunisia. The Spring/ Fall 2008 tour will mark its North American premiere. The 2008 tour is being produced by MAPP International Productions through The Africa Contemporary Arts Consortium – a coalition of 11 diverse arts institutions, advancing a dynamic exchange of arts and ideas between artists, arts organizations, cultural and other institutions of Africa and the United States.


Dancers: Qudus Onikeku, Simone Gomis, Hardo Papa Salif Ka, Amie Gomis, Marie-Pierre Gomis, Marie Diedhiou, Alougbin Awoulathe, Rachelle Agbossou, Alou Cissé, Dramane Diarra, Alberto Jacinto Nhabangue, Kingsley Odiaka, Vincent Etagweyo, Koffitse Akakpo-Adzaku.



June 7 - 8, 2008
                     Charleston, SC                Spoleto Festival

June 10 - 15, 2008                 New York, NY               Joyce Theater

June 25 - 29, 2008                 Becket, MA                    Jacob's Pillow

October 2 - 4, 2008               Seattle, WA                     Paramount Theater

October 10, 2008                   Chapel Hill, NC             University of North 
                                                                                  Carolina
October 15, 2008                  Ann Arbor, MI                 University Musical Society

these people

If i tell you, you might not believe
there are people who wake up very early 
in the morning . Like 5 a.m
with their beutiful family, 
they are clean and dress clean 
they wear sharply and neatly ironed 
expensive trousers, shirt, tie and suit that suits them so well.
They spend few time with thier family 
but they make good money.
Such people are usully trapped in some 
air conditioned four walls they call office.

You may not believe but there are people 
who wake up arround 11 a.m everyday,
food on their tables 
with no sign of rush to join a queue, 
The way they dress portrays some 
qualities of a big man in them, 
they are very connected and contented, 
they work from home and work with their brains, 
yet spends little or no time with their families. 
Cos they sleep late.
Such people are usually 419 or politicians.

If i tell you, you wont believe
but there are people who wake up whatever time they wish,
they might not have food on their table, 
but they are happy with themselves, 
they work with pleasure and often out going.
they strive to get a work to do, they dress well at times, 
spend the best times with their families 
and when its their season, 
their family might not see them for months.
Such people usually call themselves artists, 
or something like that, they do exist.

But i am not one of these people
i'm not even near being one of these people
but i'm particles of all on these people
you might not belive it, if i tell you