Siguifin, by Anger-based choreographer Amala Dianor, is a vibrating and energetic group piece for nine young dancers from Burkina  Faso, Mali, and Sénégal, created in collaboration with three emerging choreographers from the same region. Premiering in January 2022 in Suresnes Cités Danse in France, Siguifin will start its European tour from Helsinki.

Siguifin means “magical monster” in the Bambara language. This new work is the result of a collective choreographic process inspired by the game of Exquisite cadaver (a game involving the drawing of parts of the body, or combining words) to construct a magical, multi-faceted being.

Siguifin is a collective choreographic creation which will introduce a new generation of artists, choreographers and dancers, players in a new, prolific artistic landscape. With this project Amala Dianor intends to promote the talents and diversity of young dancers from Mali, Burkina  Faso and Sénégal.

Dianor works in collaboration with three choreographers: Alioune Diagne based in Saint Louis in Sénégal; Naomi Fall, from the Blonba Cultural Center in Bamako, Mali; and Ladji Koné, who is an artist in residence at the Termitière, the CDC of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. The nine dancers, selected in each country by the 3 choreographers   all have a laudable strength and an overwhelming drive to express themselves.

“I am hoping to   offer the audience the possibility of vibrating, feeling along with the dancers and their energy: all of them live their dance quite fiercely. Traveling in order to dance, crossing borders to experience the stages of this deliberately plural creative process, then the chance to encounter different audiences – all of these are important milestones in their artistic journeys.” – Amala Dianor.

Amala Dianor

After an experience as a hip hop dancer, Amala Dianor studied contemporary dance at the Superior school of the Centre national de danse contemporaine d’Angers CNDC in 2000. Working as a performer in many diverse productions (from hip hop to neo-classical, contemporary and afro-contemporary dance), he quickly acquired undeniable recognition in the dancing community.

During these years, Amala perfected his artistic handwriting: he masterfully went from one technique to another, but truly thrived through building bridges through these worlds. In 2012 he created Crossroads (winner of the Second and Third Awards at the Concours Reconnaissance), as well as his own company, the Amala Dianor Company, with which he developed his work as a choreographer.

Amala Dianor is associated artist to Maison de la danse de Lyon – European Pole of creation (2019-2021) and member of « le Grand Ensemble » of Quinconces- Espale, scène nationale du Mans (2020-2024).

https://amaladianor.com

 

Direction and Choreography: Amala Dianor
Choreography: Alioune Diagne, Naomi Fall, Ladji (Jain Souleymane Koné)
Performers
(Burkina Faso):
Abdoul Kader Simporé aka Dainss, Daniel Koala aka Tchapratt, Rama Koné
(Sénégal): Roger Sarr, Alicia Sebia Gomis, Jules Djihounouck
(Mali): Adiara Traoré, Salif Zongo, Adama Mariko
Music: Awir Léon
Lights, Stage manager: Nicolas Tallec
Executive Manager: Mélanie Roger
Tour manager: Lucie Jeannenot

Production: Cie Amala Dianor / Kaplan, sustained by French State - DRAC Pays de la Loire, Pays de la Loire Region, Town of Angers. Since 2020, it is receiving the support of BNP Paribas Fondation.
Partners: Association Diagn'art - Alioune Diagne, Festival Fari Foni Waati - Naomi Fall, Collectif JUMP - Ladji Koné

Coproduction: Théâtre de Suresnes-Jean Vilar; Atelier de Paris / CDCN ; POLE-SUD, CDCN Strasbourg ; Institut français de Dakar, Sénégal; Centre chorégraphique national de Rennes et de Bretagne; Centre de la danse Pierre Doussaint Grand Paris Seine et Oise

Siguifin is a Big Pulse Dance Alliance Commission, coproduced by Dublin Dance Festival (lreland), ONE Dance Week (Bulgaria), Julidans (Netherlands), Tanz im August/HAU Hebbel am Ufer (Germany), Dance Umbrella (UK), CODA Oslo International Dance Festival (Norway) and presented by Zodiak – Side Step Festival (Finland), New Baltic Dance (Lithuania), International Dance Festival TANEC PRAHA (Czech Republic), Torinodanza Festival (ltaly, tbc), co-funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union.