5/20/2009

Koklondumn, Part I

Extracts 1/2 from "Koklondumn", choreographed by Chrysogone Diangouaya : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7G5FEPHU-NE

Koklondumn, Part II

Extracts 2/2 from "Koklondumn", choreographed by Chrysogone Diangouaya : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3LhNEyYsUg

5/18/2009

The Monana

Extracts from a concert in Morangis (France, 91) :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpwHGrh_9rw

Chrysogone story-teller

Extracts from tales performed by chrysogone Diangouaya : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJOcsEZ-M44

Nartikibehiki, l'image du vent salé

"Nartikibehiki" Showview, choreographed by chrysogone Diangouaya : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSPOYBnUHnQ

Mabina Festival in Congo-Brazzaville

http://video.google.fr/videoplay?docid=-2998631117722998836

Chrysogone Diangouaya

In 1992, Chrysogone Diangouaya set up the Centre d'Expression Corporelle, d'Art Dramatique, de Contes, de Percussions et Chants Africains. This provided a framework in which to develop his own contemporary dance technique based on the body's natural movement, and to found the first ever Congolese contemporary dance company, the Ballet Théâtre Monana.
It was the start of a long series of dance pieces and plays, notably Noix de Coco [Coconut], selected by the Avignon Festival de Théâtre Jeune Public in 1995, and the first version of Koklondumn, l'homme [Koklondumn, Man], which won the Afrique en Création 1st prize (1995 national selection), and was programmed at the Rencontres chorégraphique internationals de Seine-Saint-Denis in 1998.
In the same period, Chrysogone Diangouaya also founded the A.J.C., the Brazzaville Young Artists' Association, which aims to help young artists develop their talent and to bring them to the public eye.
In 1996, he also set up Mabina Danse, Brazzaville's first dance festival, which has seen the emergence of a number of dance companies.
In 1998, Chrysogone Diangouaya left his war-torn native Congo for Europe, where he perfected his technique in the company of choreographers such as Germaine Acogny, Carlos Orta, Avi Kaiser, Louise Burn, and Elsa Wolliastion.
In 2000, he performed in Suzanne Linke's Le Coq est mort [The Cockerel is Dead], in 2001 in Norma Claire's Juste un zeste d'amour [Just a Dash of Love], and in Jane Lloyd Francis' l'Equilibre Horse Theater in 2001, 2002, and 2003.
Claire Verlet and Anne-Marie Raynaud of the National Dance Centre (CND) in Paris soon demonstrated their faith in his choreographic and pedagogical skills, inviting him to run the "Africa, from tradition to modernity" master class alongside the likes of Germaine Acogny, Elsa Wolliastion, Flora Thiefaine, and Salia Sanou, and putting rehearsal studios at his disposal for his Singur and Koklondumn pieces.
In 2000, Chrysogone Diangouaya set up the Compagnie Monana, an emanation of Ballet Théâtre Monana and the La Monana association, which works to promote, enhance and distribute African culture.