Serge Aimé Coulibaly /
Faso Danse Théâtre
& Kalpana Raghuraman
Burkina Faso / India
« J'ai perdu mon français
(I lost my french)»
Interview sonore,
lecteur flash nécessaire:
adobe.com
Presentation
Introduction by Serge Aimé Coulibaly
Biography, cast and crew, thanks
Dates, duration, price, links
First production / Dance
French is a language with an infinity of voices based in the Old Continent, Quebec or Africa. Serge Aimé Coulibaly, a choreographer from Burkina Faso, shares his time between Africa and Belgium. He learnt about the syntax differences between countries with a certain degree of violence from those who wanted to teach him to speak “proper French”. The show he has created with Kalpana Raghuraman and Simon Winsé examines the differences between words and body language. Weaving lively bridges between the Mandika country, France and India, he created a dance and music show whose purpose is actually political. It could be called “Of the subjection through language... and of language’s liberating power”.
See synopsis (pdf / 56 KB) !In french!
“Kalpana and I are familiar with the feeling of being "foreign" - whether we are in a foreign country or our own. It is a strong departure point already. We not only physically “look foreign”, but we also are intellectually speaking “foreign”. This is when the terms you are using are either not understood or ridiculed. When the words you say sound strange and suddenly reveal your history, your country... and they may not have the same meaning as they are given in the country’s dictionary... When the language you speak creates a hierarchy. (...)
At the time when I had just arrived in France to continue my artistic work, I was corrected every time I opened my mouth to speak. Whether it was people I met or worked with, all laughed about the way I had to pronounce words, to make sentences and express myself, and corrected me on the basics, which I felt I had known all my life. The chatty young man I was when I left Burkina Faso became mute for a while after his first contact with French society. Because I was corrected every time I opened my mouth, feeling like I was treated like a child, I just stopped talking. I had lost all my French. I listened, I observed, I tried not to show any feelings. But when you don’t open your mouth you opinion doesn’t matter any more and people stop asking for this opinion. People quickly make a link between the (lack of) spoken language and the intellectual capacity of the person, between his mastery of the language and his maturity (...)” Serge Aimé Coulibaly
At the time when I had just arrived in France to continue my artistic work, I was corrected every time I opened my mouth to speak. Whether it was people I met or worked with, all laughed about the way I had to pronounce words, to make sentences and express myself, and corrected me on the basics, which I felt I had known all my life. The chatty young man I was when I left Burkina Faso became mute for a while after his first contact with French society. Because I was corrected every time I opened my mouth, feeling like I was treated like a child, I just stopped talking. I had lost all my French. I listened, I observed, I tried not to show any feelings. But when you don’t open your mouth you opinion doesn’t matter any more and people stop asking for this opinion. People quickly make a link between the (lack of) spoken language and the intellectual capacity of the person, between his mastery of the language and his maturity (...)” Serge Aimé Coulibaly
Biography
Serge Aimé Coulibaly worked for 8 years as a full-time actor, dancer and musician for the company Feeren in Burkina Faso under the leadership of Amadou Bourou. In parallel, he trained with several directors and choreographers, such as Catherine Dasté, Jacques Jouet, Seydou Boro, Jonattan Fox, Alassane Congo, Dany Kouyaté, Claude Brumachon, Benjamin Lamarche, and David Zombrano. In 2002, he joined the company Les Ballets C de la B., performs Alain Platel’s Wolf and Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui’s Tempus Fugit. With his company Faso Danse Théâtre, he choreographed and performed Et Demain…, a play selected for the new talent category in Lille European Capital of Culture 2004. In 2006, he created A benguer. Serge Aimé has been asked by the Liverpool Culture Company to choreograph Sugar, a show on urban culture and the place of youth in the city, as part of the event Liverpool European Capital of Culture 2008. In parallel, in 2007, he has created Quand j’étais révolutionnaire and will create Babemba in June 2008.
Kalpana Raghuraman is a dancer, choreographer and teacher trained in the art of bharatanatyam from Southern India. Born and bred in the Netherlands, Kalpana is nevertheless deeply influenced by her cultural roots from Southern India. She sees her work as creating bridges - between cultures, traditions, and people. Kalpana’s work is the result of intensive research, which she used to broaden the horizons of her tradition. Innovating, full of humour and tactile, her shows have been performed in Europe, India and the States.
Simon Winsé was trained from childhood in his native village to play mouth bow (an iconic instrument from the San country in North West Burkina Faso), then went to Ouagadougou, where he specialised in Fulani flute and ngoni. Simon Winsé first performed here in 2000, with his younger brother Tim Winsé, a famous instrumentalist, who provided the soundtrack to productions by Salia ni Seydou and Kongo Bateria. Winsé is a musician, performer, composer, and singer. His musical universe is influenced by jazz, blues and traditional samo music. He has played with various music bands from Burkina Faso and other countries (Rideau Bayonne, Patrick Ruffino, etc.) and has worked with contemporary dance companies (Ba, Garage...), theatre groups (Pièce d'identité by Mathieu Mortainer, Madame je vous aime by Etienne Minougo, Vies Vœux, Voix des rues with Compagnie KPG and Compagnie des Cataclounes...) as well as story telling.
Kalpana Raghuraman is a dancer, choreographer and teacher trained in the art of bharatanatyam from Southern India. Born and bred in the Netherlands, Kalpana is nevertheless deeply influenced by her cultural roots from Southern India. She sees her work as creating bridges - between cultures, traditions, and people. Kalpana’s work is the result of intensive research, which she used to broaden the horizons of her tradition. Innovating, full of humour and tactile, her shows have been performed in Europe, India and the States.
Simon Winsé was trained from childhood in his native village to play mouth bow (an iconic instrument from the San country in North West Burkina Faso), then went to Ouagadougou, where he specialised in Fulani flute and ngoni. Simon Winsé first performed here in 2000, with his younger brother Tim Winsé, a famous instrumentalist, who provided the soundtrack to productions by Salia ni Seydou and Kongo Bateria. Winsé is a musician, performer, composer, and singer. His musical universe is influenced by jazz, blues and traditional samo music. He has played with various music bands from Burkina Faso and other countries (Rideau Bayonne, Patrick Ruffino, etc.) and has worked with contemporary dance companies (Ba, Garage...), theatre groups (Pièce d'identité by Mathieu Mortainer, Madame je vous aime by Etienne Minougo, Vies Vœux, Voix des rues with Compagnie KPG and Compagnie des Cataclounes...) as well as story telling.
Cast and crew & thanks
Created by Serge Aimé Coulibaly. Choreographed and performed by Serge Aimé Coulibaly & Kalpana Raghuraman. Musical Direction: Simon Winsé. Production: Faso Danse Théâtre, Doni DoniCo-production & Residence: Les Subsistances / Lyon / France. Coproduced by Borneoco/Julidans (Amsterdam).
Dates
Thursday 3, Friday 4, Saturday 5, Sunday 6 april 08Duration
Around 35 min
Price
5€Links :
Page perso My Space Serge Aimé Coulibaly
