JERADA

When Bouchra Ouizguen received her invitation to develop a work with company Carte Blanche, she perceived it as a special challenge, leaving her familiar company and usual patterns in Marocco to begin work with the company in Bergen, Norway. She compared it to a step into the desert, where only the bare necessities survive and language and gestures perish. The 14-piece Carte Blanche ensemble, directed by Hooman Sharifi, embarked on the same journey to pay a visit to Bouchra Ouizguen in Marrakech. The essence of these excursions remained in the question of survival within a group – and the geometrical form of the circle as one possible answer: How do we set course for a common goal, Bouchra Ouizguen asked, how do we stay on course without losing sight of our own focus? The circle remains intact, while the dancers spin on their axes with their respective individual techniques – until they reach exhaustion or infinite ecstasy. 

Bouchra Ouizguen arrived at dance self-taught when she was 16. Since 1998, she has been involved in the development of Marrakech’s local dance scene. Her works are informed by her interest in film, literature and music, and they explore Morroccan society as well as its newer and traditional art forms. There, she founded the “Anania Association” Initiative, working with Mathilde Monnier and Boris Charmatz, among others, before going on to found Compagnie O. In 2010, she was awarded the “Prix de la revelation chorégraphique” as well as the critic’s choice award by the French Théâtre, Musique, Dance union. 

Duration: 60 min.