ENGLISH 054/hautevoltige
SADEK EL BAHJAOUI
THE HORSE WHISPERER
This young acrobatics and dressage ace from Marrakech is leading his international career at a gallop…
S
adek El Bahjaoui got on a horse for the first time at 6 years of age and discovered a world larger than life! Learning to ride at such an early age, he excelled in acrobatics at the Académie des Arts Equestres in Ouirgane. This natural-born stuntman took part with his two brothers in a number of shows. At nine years of age, he joined the prestigious Anne Fratellini circus school in France with his older brothers. "These years of learning and achievement were a wonderful adventure for me, despite the wrench of having to leave my family and my country behind”, he nostalgically entrusts. Joining his older brother Mustapha, manager of a horse training stable in the south of France, he followed a classical and general education. At 17, Sadek El Bahjaoui is spotted by Bartabas and joins his famous Zingaro troop, travelling throughout Europe for the next 3 years. He has fond memories of this crazy cavalcade: "Working alongside Bartabas was enriching and gave me a taste for production. Thanks to this community life, I learnt consideration for others and even if teaching is not his forte (he smiles), I was able to progress technically and artistically a little more every day in contact with his rich and diverse world. Bartabas is a role model for me and I have great respect for what he has brought to the world of equestrian performing arts in the past 25 years." In 2002, Sadek El Bahjaoui finally decided to stand
on his own two feet, his path crossing that of Lucien Gruss then Jean-François Pignon, who created the equestrian numbers in the film "Danse avec lui" [Dance with him]. In 2009, with the blessing of his riding master Bartabas, he launched his solo career and bought three horses. With freedom, acrobatics and dressage as a foundation stone, he creates unique and fascinating performances. Dreamy warrior Today, the rider artist is opening up his breathtaking world to us. With sensational and athletic beauty and headpiece streaming in the wind, this twentyeight year old gallops from one country to the next with the spirit of a “Dreamy warrior”. His Cossack acrobatic number critically acclaimed during the last horse trade show in El Jadida was honoured with the support of His Royal Highness Mohamed VI. As his mother’s heart brimmed with joy, the audience had nothing short of stars in their eyes… There is indeed something magical about this virtuoso’s extraordinary innermost chemistry. With his painted face and firm but supple movements, this young horse-riding lord has invented a mirror-image corps-à-corps routine with his 11-year-old mare, Isaure. Riding bareback in a sensual entanglement, free from the constraints of the harness, he strokes the croup, leaps up, whirls into the air and rubs shoulders with the Gods in a furious gallop, before blending into his mount’s
robes. An unlikely combination of content and form, he embraces the air and the horse with the simplicity of extreme sophistication. Spectators delve into another dimension, in which man gains in animality and the horse in humanity. This to-ing and fro-ing of emotions opens up the unsettling boundaries of a waking dream on a score of Gypsy music that pierces the laws of gravity. There is great mystery in the perfect harmony that provokes a visual shock and scatters all of our reference points. Where does the man end and the horse begin? The result is the poetic birth of a new horseman… The reality catches up with the myth of the Centaur in this success story built on encounters, effort, work and patience. On international tour with André Heller’s Magnifico Show, Sadek El Bahjaoui dreams of opening his own horse-riding Academy in Marrakech, to be able to pass on his expertise to new up and coming talent: "My ultimate goal is to highlight my country’s artistic wealth via its equestrian culture and history. This return to my origins would mark the peak of my career. Indeed, Morocco is more than able to become an internationally renowned equestrian and artistic showcase.” Fascinated by his gift, we asked him to tell us of his deep-felt emotions by commenting a few photos of his exploits. Magnifico, don’t you think? www.magnifico-show.com