Only 14 kilometres as the crow flies separate Africa from the European continent. In Tangiers, on the north-west tip of Morocco where the Mediterranean and the Atlantic meet, the direction of these moonlight departures becomes apparent. Mehdi Dahkan, artistic director of the dance company Jil Z, started with mental images of an as yet unknown place to choreograph the dynamics of exile: a shared space, four bodies looking in the same direction, “a relentless quest bringing them together at the same frantic pace”. Their personalities are revealed, their singular aspirations conveyed by states of the body, “variations in energy, liveliness and hope, idleness and disillusionment”. Do wandering and belonging define an existence?
Before the evening performance of Only 14, Detours Quartier – an urban dance initiative combining mediation, workshops and local and international encounters for a truly mixed audience – will be holding one of its innovative events in the new Grande Halle building in the Heyvaert area of Brussels.
Création 2023 / Chorégraphe : Mehdi Dahkan / Interprètes: Fatima Joudari, Karima Elaidaoui Eléa Sajous, Ismail Bouh, Reda Abassi / Assistante chorégraphique : Marie Bruel / Création sonore : Omar Chakor, Etienne de Framond / Création lumière : Simon Benatia
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Production : Cie Jil Z / Partenaires et soutien : Charleroi danse, Centre culturel Liveroom Tanger, Institut français de Tanger, Institut français de Meknes, AFAC Arab culture fondation , Cultural Foundation Abu Dhabi