The marketing for the event by its host, the National Dance Theatre, failed to mobilise the city?s dance lovers and the single performance did not attract a full house. Nothing had been said in the ads about the members of this unique company, not to mention the fact that they did not clearly say if we would see one or two works. The piece entitled Nya was a diptych: it consisted of two choreographies that did not have separate titles, but the first one was based on Ravel?s Bolero and after the intermission, a second and longer piece was shown based on a musical montage prepared by Eric Aldéa.
The meaning of the Arabic word nya is something like ?trust in life.? The project that was the basis of this performance actually brought nya, or an escape from suffering and hardship, to the ten male dancers who were picked from four hundred applicants during the casting in Algeria by Lagraa. If we imagine the conditions that prevail in the northern African country, ruled by poverty and terror, we can precisely understand the opportunity that joining the La Baraka troupe, originally formed by Lagraa in 1997, meant to the mostly non-professional dancers who had performed ?only? in the streets before. The project, which was part of the Mediterranean Cultural Bridge scheme, was developed over a year and a half and had its premiere at the Algerian National Theatre exactly a year ago. The European premiere was at the Lyon Dance Biennale. The French-Algerian production has since been performed at several locations. After Budapest, it will travel to the Bulandra Theatre in Bucharest.
Lagraa?s intensive and complex training focused on the individuals? unique skills and heritage. He had a perfect eye for selecting the members and managed to build an excellent team. But actually who is Lagraa? He is a French dancer of Algerian origin who completed his studies at the Conservatory of Music and Dance in Lyon. He was a member of the world-famous Rui Horta S.O.A.P. dance troupe for four years and then formed his own ensemble. He has worked as guest choreographer at the Ballet du Lorraine, the Opera Ballet of Pariss and the National Choreography Centre of Angers.
The first part of the work presented in Budapest took place on a projected square shape divided into four sections. The dancers, dressed in streetwear, appeared on stage in groups, against the backdrop of street noises and fragments of Bolero. Their appearance was easy-going but the movements were spot-on precise and very captivating. After a short and ragged intro, Ravel?s masterpiece, a tune that has formed the basis of dance performances many thousands of times before, was played in full. However, Lagraa and his dancers managed to expose such deep layers and hidden details of the composition that even the experienced viewer was taken from surprise to euphoria. Lagraa?s choreography offered a virtuoso and extremely witty mix of street dance and classical dance, characterised by dynamism and clockwork precision at the same time. We were struck to see a double wardrobe-sized dancer demonstrating captivating movements and a weightless flow, as well as several gazelle-like slender bodies of the young Arabic and Berber dancers. We were awed by the French-Arabic cultural bridge, the richness of street dance elements, the flexibility and transparency, and how well it combined with a classic like Ravel.
The stage in the second part of the evening was decorated by a single strip of colourfully decorated Eastern rugs hung in the background. The swirling dynamism of this piece sometimes came to a sudden halt, but it was intentionally so and it was indeed astounding. The score was a selection of pieces by Houria A?chi and Hossam Ramzy, and the ten dancers stepped on the stage wearing sleeveless blue tuxedos and black trousers. The spectator could easily imagine which of the movements came from the dancers? individual background. The imaginatively edited music and choreography used a structure that alluded to Bolero by using a technique of gradual intensification. Lagraa included many virtuoso elements but did not set out purely to impress. The second part once again managed to evoke a euphoria in spectators.
La Baraka is a troupe worth remembering. And we should hope that this team (which came together in an internationally unique project) will return to Hungary one day.
Author: Tamás Halász / Photo: La Baraka
