The Diagn'Art Company
ALIOUNE DIAGNE | ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Alioune Diagne is a choreographer and dancer born in Saint-Louis, Senegal, in 1982. Initially self-taught, he trained in contemporary dance with Salia Sanou and Seydou Boro (Burkina Faso), Kettly Noël (Mali), Germaine Acogny, Cire Beye and Hardo Ka (Senegal). After creating two solos (Blabla - 2008 and This line is my path - 2009), he enjoyed great success with the trio Banlieue (2012). This show for three dancers, recounting the daily life of Senegalese suburbs, toured the continent in over 20 African and European countries. His latest show, Siki, is a solo inspired by the life of the first black world boxing champion, Battling Siki. Alioune has also performed in choreographer Kenzo Kusuda's solo Flora at Korzo Théâtre (The Hague, Netherlands), and a role in Germaine Acogny's Fagaala. Since 2007 in Saint-Louis, Alioune Diagne has artistically embodied this conviction in a 3-part project, all supported by the Diagn'Art Association: the Duo Solo Danse Festival, the Diagn'Art Company, and the "Le Château" Choreographic Center.
LES AVENTURES DE LEUK
Leuk | Duo | 2016/17
For this new creation for all audiences, Alioune Diagne draws inspiration from the Senegalese tales of Leuk-le-Lièvre, a character who resembles the Fox in European fables: he's clever, curious, joking, sometimes a little naïve and, above all, on a journey of initiation. When you're not big, you have to be clever! In this show, Leuk is determined to discover the world. He sets off on an adventure and meets some amazing people along the way... He meets Bouki-l'Hyène, Anansi-l'Araignée, and Mbott-La Grenouille. Each interaction teaches him or brings him something.
In the end, all this learning serves as a key for him to return home and open a magic door. Alioune Diagne choreographs this duet in a modern, lively, pulsating narrative form. Using urban dances such as hip-hop, breakdance, popping & locking, as well as contemporary dance techniques, he creates a joyful, dynamic universe full of surprises. The show confronts the original savannah setting with today's urban environment, the everyday life of African cities, its noises and new rhythms. The different reading levels make the show accessible and enjoyable for everyone!
Concept and choreography: Alioune Diagne
Performers: Jules Romain Djihounouck and Roger Sarr
Music: Ibaaku
Outside view: Salia Sanou, Compagnie La Mer Noire, Rose Guinard
Production: Compagnie Diagn'Art - Maaike Cotterink
SIKI
Siki | Solo | 2015
This fascinating contemporary dance show brings to life the spirit and history of Battling Siki, the forgotten Senegalese boxing hero. In Siki, every dance is a fight, and every fight is a dance. Siki was the first African to win the title of world boxing champion in 1923 in Paris. He fought in the ring, but he also fought against the racism of his time, making his way through Europe and the United States in the 1920s, the famous Roaring Twenties. He was murdered in New York at the age of 28. Despite a tumultuous and extraordinary life, his story
is little known in Senegal, and even less in the rest of the world. This show is a dialogue between dance and boxing, between yesterday and today, between watching and being watched, between Battling Siki and Alioune Diagne, two fellow citizens of the same age, a century apart. Choreography and interpretation Alioune Diagne, Dramaturgy Anoek Nuyens, Research and artistic advice Maaike Cotterink, Audio extracts from the documentary Siki by Niek Koppen and the documentary Boy Saloum by Audrey Gallet, Sound mixing Simone Giacomini, Jacques Lynedjian, Maaike Cotterink, Production Compagnie Diagn'Art - Maaike Cotterink, Coproduction Korzo, Ballet Preljocaj - Centre Chorégraphique National, Gemeente Den Haag, Pamoja - ACP- Culture + program financed by the European Union and implemented by Studios Kabako.
BANLIEUE
Banlieue | Trio | 2012
Choreographer Alioune Diagne grew up in the suburbs of Senegal. Inspired by his childhood, he created his first group piece, Banlieue, in 2012. Drawn together in ceaseless movement, the three dancers (Alioune Diagne, Seydou Camara and Madiba Badio) evoke the despair, celebration and revolt of life-on-life. Banlieue oscillates between droll frivolity and seriousness, and shows a changing society. An inventive, generous and vibrant show. During the Rencontres
Chorégraphiques - Danse l'Afrique Danse 2012, in Johannesburg, the piece was a great success. In 2013, the show toured 16 African countries, Reunion Island and the Canary Islands in 2015. Choreography and concept Alioune Diagne, Performers Alioune Diagne, Madiba Badio, Seydou Camara, Text Roland Fichet, Lighting Badou Sow & CCN Ballet Preljocaj - Pavillon Noir, Costumes and set design Alioune Diagne, Production Compagnie Diagn'Art (Saint-Louis) -Maaike Cotterink, Co-production Institut Français de Saint-Louis, CCN Ballet Preljocaj-Pavillon Noir, Partners Institut Français du Sénégal, Théâtre de Folle Pensée, Acknowledgements Ruth Roukema, Charles Najman, Sylvie Duchelle
SENGHOR, NOTRE CONTEMPORAIN / 2014
SHOW FOR 4 DANCERS, 4 SINGERS AND 2 ACTORS
Senghor, notre contemporain is a grand fresco of dance, theater and song, taking us into the poetic world of Senghor, and his famous poem Femme Noire. Created in June 2014 by Moïse Touré and Alioune Diagne, this show is a platform for international artistic collaboration, where Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Senegal and France come together around a multidisciplinary work. For this show, three Senegalese writers from three different generations: Amina Sow Mbaye, Sokhna Benga and Khady Touré, and a writer from Burkina Faso, Aristide Tarnagda, have written a sequel to Femme Noire, sixty years after its publication. What has become of it, decades later? These texts served as inspiration for Alioune Diagne's choreographic work, Moïse Touré's mise-en-scène and the songs sung by the women's choir directed by Gaëlle Mongo. As part of the Sommet de la Francophonie 2014, this show was presented at the Grand Théâtre National in Dakar and at the Duo Solo Danse 2014 festival.
Artistic Direction Moïse Touré and Alioune Diagne, Choreography Alioune Diagne, Stage Direction Moïse Touré, Musical Arrangements and Choir Direction Gaëlle Mongo, Management Maaike Cotterink and Céline Cagnas, Production Maaike Cotterink and Ruth Roukema, Dance Alicia Gomis, Kaisha Essiane, Khady Diop ( Clarisse Sagna à Saint-Louis), Théâtre Kabore Safourate, Ali Ouedraogo, Vocals Gaëlle Mongo, Cori de I-Science, Daba Makourejah, Fakeba, Writers Khady Touré, Amina Sow Mbaye, Sokhna Benga, Aristide Tarnagda, Production Compagnie Diagn'Art Compagnie Les Inachevés, Main sponsor for the production of the show La Fondation Total Sénégal, With the support of La Fondation Total Sénégal, Ministère de la Culture du Sénégal, Sommet de la Francophonie, Région Rhône Alpes, Graphic design, Carrie Zwarts, Thanks to Henk Oonk, Carrie Zwarts,Calaoprint, Grand Théâtre National