French choreography meets Brazilian passion

Compagnie Kafig featuring 11 Latin American dancers to stage latest productions in Korea next month


Well-known French urban dance company Compagnie Kafig returns to Korea for the first time in six years with its latest productions “Agwa” and “Correria” on June 2-3 at the LG Arts Center in Seoul.

Inspired by the special encounter between Algerian-French choreographer Mourad Merzouki and 11 self-taught Brazilian dancers, the two upcoming productions are a mix of French choreography and Brazilian passion.

The French choreographer said he was mesmerized by the performances of the dancers from favela, or slum towns, in Brazil at the Lyon Dance Biennial in 2006. With the two creations, Merzouki shows off their rough yet pure passion for dance.

In new production “Agwa,” meaning water in Portuguese, Merzouki projects the image of water alongside the fluidity of the dancers’ movements. The dancers, fearless and inspirational, jump around some 100 glasses of water laid out in parallel lines that are sometimes barriers for them and sometimes part of their frames.

“Correria (The Rush),” meanwhile, is a portrayal of people today who are always busy and have no time to think. The work depicts the hectic nature of modern living, with dancers running around the stage nonstop to a fast and funky rhythm.

The company, founded and led by Merzouki, has gained international recognition for its innovative and energetic contemporary works based on French hip-hop dance. Merzouki, an acclaimed, award-winning hip-hop dancer, has been experimenting by constantly combining his signature genre with others such as samba, acrobatics, electronic music and even Bossa Nova.

In the last 15 years, he and the company have traveled to about 50 countries around the world, staging more than 150 performances. In 2006, Compagnie Kafig came to Seoul with “Terrain Vague (Wasteland),” which blended hip-hop, flamenco, contemporary and circus performance. The works were created as a tribute to multi-cultural French society.

Merzouki was a recipient of the Best Young Choreographer prize at the International Dance Festival of Wolfsburg and was also awarded the Crateurs sans Frontires trophy by the French government.

Compagnie Kafig will also perform at Gyeongnam Culture and Arts Center in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province, on May 30 and at Busan Cinema Center on June 5.

Tickets range from 30,000 won to 70,000 won. The performance runs for 80 minutes with a 20-minute intermission. For more information, call (02) 2005-0114 or visit www.lgart.com.
 
By Cho Chung-un(christory@heraldcorp.com)