Corbeaux

A group of women, all dressed in black and crowned with white headscarves, floods the square like a flock of ravens. Their calls, swelling from silent presence up to a billowing choir, are reflected by their surroundings. Deep from within their bodies, the impressive sounds carry above the square before the gathering dissolves in a happy round dance. With “Corbeaux”, Moroccan choreographer Bouchra Ouizguen and her exclusively female cast reclaim space and visibility, posing questions for the power and capacity of women in public space. At the same time, communal singing, dancing and querying indicates questions of communality and knowledge-trading across generations. Movements and calls are borrowed from traditional rites and form an impressive sound sculpture. Bouchra Ouizguen’s motivation becomes clear: She is convinced that traditional forms are also the most contemporary, current ones. Their sheer existence alone is proof of this, for if they weren’t picked up again and again in the now, they would long be extinct. 

Bouchra Ouizguen came to dance at the age of 16, self-taught Since 1998, she has been active in the development of the local Marrakesh dance scene. Her works are informed by an interest in film, literature and music as she dissects Moroccan society as well as its newer and traditional art forms. She founded the “Anania Association” initiative with Taoufiq Izeddiou and worked in stints with Mathilde Monnier and Boris Charmatz, among others, before founding Compagnie O. She was awarded the “Prix de la révélation chorégraphique“ of the SACD as well as the Critic’s Choice Award of the French union Théâtre, Musique, Dance in 2010.

Duration: 40 min.