Dance Victoria 2023-2024 Season - Compagnie Hervé KOUBI program insert

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Compagnie Hervé KOUBI The Barbarian Nights (or The First Dawns of the World) February 2 + 3, 2024 • 7:30 pm Royal Theatre Running time: 75 minutes (no intermission)

Compagnie Hervé KOUBI in The Barbarian Nights. Photo: Pierangela Flisi

The Royal Theatre is located on the traditional lands of the Lekwungen peoples, also known as the Esquimalt and Songhees Nations. We extend our appreciation for the opportunity to live, create, and perform on this territory.

About the Work

The Barbarian Nights (or The First Dawns of the World) takes root from the awe-inspiring and unavoidable story of our Mediterranean basin. This is a story about a path, it’s always about a path… Five years have been lived between France and Algeria, on opposite shores of the Mediterranean, the famous sea that is at the origin of these unrooted people with similar pedigree and fundamental backgrounds entrenched in those whom we call Mediterraneans.

I think it is necessary for everyone to believe in a universal culture which is at once shared, mixed and linked, in order to wish for an inevitably common future.

Who were these Barbarians storming in from the North, the mysterious people of the sea that were often described in the

Bible, chronicles and ancient monuments, often talked about without really describing who they were or where they came from? Who were these Barbarians of the East, these Persians, Ionians and Babylonians, the Arabo-Muslims? From what unknown, forgotten, reworked, assimilated or erased history from which we have inherited?

I’ve chosen to bring my gaze towards what I feel is the most beautiful: the mixture of cultures and religions throughout the times to allow and help me draw the foundations of a common geography on which we today stand, all too often without knowing.

I also want to seize history, open my eyes and slide towards freedom while remembering that the word Barbarian is also said as Amazigh which signifies, the Free Man. To Beauty! The one who, above wars, speaks of unity, the one who gathers all, the one who turns its back to identity claims, the one who takes the best of everyone and whom, throughout its history, honors man as its anthem.

To the Mediterranean that contains so much luminosity that it blinds like a lost secret. The secret of our common lost desire and destiny.

To our history which has, for over 3000 years, witnessed countless cultures whose differences have brought us together. Indeed, it has brought us together instead of keeping us apart… No matter if we are Algerian, Spanish, French, Greek… we are first and foremost Mediterranean and this feeling of belonging is much more ancient than the concept of nations.

Hervé Koubi, working notes, January 2015

Compagnie Hervé KOUBI in The Barbarian Nights. Photo: Frédérique Calloch

Choreography: Hervé Koubi Assistants to the Choreographer: Fayçal Hamlat & Guillaume Gabriel Musical Director: Maxime Bodson Music: Mozart - Fauré - Wagner – Traditional Algerian Music – Georgian traditional music Arrangements: Guillaume Gabriel Lighting Director: Lionel Buzonie Costumes and accessories: Guillaume Gabriel assisted by Claudine G-Delattre Masks: Swarvoski Elements Cutlery: Esteban Cedres Dance Artists: Houssni Mijem, El Houssaini Zahid, Nadjib Meherhera, Abdelghani Ferradhi, Mohammed Elhilali, Ismail Oubbajaddi, Bendehiba Maamar, Vladimir Gruev, Badr Benr Guibi, Giacomo Buffoni, Youssef El Kanfoudi, Matteo Ruiz, Loic Bovi

About Hervé Koubi

Compagnie Hervé KOUBI in The Barbarian Nights. Photo: Pierangela Flisi. (Top): Hervé Koubi. Photo: Didier Philispart.

With roots in Algeria, Hervé Koubi worked as a pharmaceutical doctor before deciding to concentrate on a career as dancer and choreographer. He studied at the International Dance Center Rosella Hightower in Cannes and later at the Opera of Marseilles. In 1999, he joined the Centre Choreographique National de Nantes. Afterwards, he worked with Karine Saporta of the Centre Choreographique National de Caen and Thierry Smits Company Thor in Brussels. In 2000, Koubi created his first project Le Golem. Since then, he has collaborated with Guillaume Gabriel. He created Ménagerie (2002) and Les Abattoirs, fantaisie… (2004). In 2006, Koubi worked with musician Laetitia Sheriff on the creation of 4’30.

In 2007, he reworked a moving show Les Heures Florissantes with the famous La Croisette in Cannes created back in 1997.

During the same year, forging contemporary and hip-hop moves for the first time, he created Moon Dogs.

In 2008, Koubi spearheaded the creation of three choreographic pieces based around three writings: Coppelia, une fiancee aux yeux d’email…, Les Supremes, and Bref sejour

chez les vivants. For these pieces, he collaborated with the writer Chantal Thomas (Les Supremes) and Benesh Movement notator Romain Panassie (Bref sejour chez les vivants). In 2009, he started a collaboration with Ivory Coast dancers from Beliga Kope Company for Un rendez-vous en Afrique.

Furthermore, Koubi has collaborated alongside videographers for several dance video projects such as Chic Chef (2009) with Max Vadukul for Yoji Yamamoto, Bodyconcrete (2010), and Ovoid edges (2012) with Pierre Magnol, and Bodyconcrete 2 (2011) with Michel Giumbard and Pierre Magnol. Since 2010, Koubi has led a team of Algerian and Burkinian collaborators on a journey creating powerful works, such as El Din (2010–2011), Ce que le jour doit à la nuit (2013), Le rêve de Lea (2014), Des hommes qui dansent (2014), and Les nuits barbares ou les premiers matins du monde (2015–2016).

Hervé Koubi is regularly invited by many professional training schools throughout France as well as abroad. In July 2015, he was awarded Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres by Brigitte Lefèvre.

Compagnie Hervé KOUBI support Compagnie Hervé KOUBI is supported by: Ville de Calais / Agglomération Grand Calais Terres et Mers / Département du Pas de Calais / Région Hauts de France / DRAC Hauts de France.

Hervé Koubi and his company are associated artists to: Pôle National Supérieur de Danse Rosella Hightower (Higher Dance School of Cannes Rosella Hightower) and National Dance School of Marseille (direction Omar Taiebi) / Conservatoire de Brive-la-Gaillarde / La Papeterie d’Uzerche Co-productions: Cannes Dance Festival / National Choreographic Center of La Rochelle-Poitou Charente-Cie Accrorap / National Choreographic Center of Créteil and Val de Marne - Compagnie Käfig / Le Ballet de l’Opéra national du

Rhin - Center Choreographic Center of Mulhouse / Jacques Duhamel Cultural Center of Vitré / Semaphore of Cébazat / La Papeterie d’Uzerche.

With the support of: Le Channel, scène nationale de Calais / Conservatory of Calais / Domaine Départmental de l’Etang des Aulnes – Department of the Bouches du Rhône / Conservatory of Music and Dance of Brive-la-Gaillarde / Higher Dance School of Cannes Rosella Hightower / CDECStudios of Vallauris Dance / City of Vallauris / MAC of Sallaumines / The Hivernales of Avignon - Center of Choreographic Development / Pianocktail of Bouguenais / Safran - Scène conventionnée of Amiens / The MimontCannes factory / The Department of Pas de Calais

TOURING MANAGEMENT For booking in North America: Bernard Schmidt Productions, Inc. 16 Penn Plaza, Suite 545, New York, NY 10001, USA Tel/fax: 1-212-564 4443 bschmidtpd@aol.com www.bernardschmidtproductions.com

Promoting sustainable choices and plant forward menus since 2006

Compagnie Hervé KOUBI in The Barbarian Nights. Photo: Nathalie Sternalski

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Compagnie Hervé KOUBI in The Barbarian Nights. Photo: Véronique Chochon

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