DanceHouse presents Kafig Brasil at the Vancouver Playhouse April 10 & 11, 2015, 8pm.
What do you get when you combine a French/Algerian choreographer steeped in hip-hop and circus arts, and eleven male dancers from Rio de Janiero’s notorious favelas? The answer is CCN Créteil et Val-de-Marne / Compagnie Käfig, which combines the energy and movement vocabulary of the street with the rigour and artistic dimensions of contemporary dance.
Käfig Brasil incorporates the work of four innovative French choreographers—Anthony Egea, Céline Lefèvre, Octávio Nassur, and Denis Plassard—in collaboration with the Brazilian dancers, performed to a soundtrack incorporating diverse musical styles from Baroque to electronic music. A must for fans of Grupo Corpo.
Compagnie Käfig is led by Paris-based Mourad Merzouki. The prolific Merzouki has created 21 works since founding the company in 1996. Käfig means “cage” in German and Arabic, yet the energetic choreographer’s style is anything but confined. French-Algerian Merzouki studied circus arts and martial arts before turning to hip-hop and dance; this openness and versatility continues to characterize his work as a choreographer. He has received numerous awards and accolades, including the Prix SACD in 2006, Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters in 2012 and Knight of the Order of the Legion of Honor in 2012.
Pre-show talk: 7:15pm, Upper Lobby of the Playhouse. With Natalie LeFebvre Gnam (Plastic Orchid Factory) and Astrid Toledo (Cie. Käfig).
