FEDORA - Yallah danse!

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Education Prize 2025
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Yallah danse!

France
Compagnie ECO

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Dancers - 2 i

Adem ©

Anes ©

Bilal ©

Cami

Cherif

Dem

Illies ©

Katia ©

Lina

Wafa ©

Mohamed ©

Yallah danse! is a cooperation project aimed at Algerian youth, focusing on training and creation within the dance sector, structured around the development of two pieces of choreography.

About the Project

Between 2024 and 2026, Emilio Calcagno has decided to involve his company in the development of an international cooperation project between Algeria, Italy and France, based on two components: training and creation.

Entitled Yallah danse! this year-long programme will train a group of 20 Algerian dancers, giving them the artistic re- sources to develop their own choreographic universe. Some of them will take part in the creation of a programme consisting of two pieces designed by Emilio Calcagno and due to be performed from autumn 2025.

The ballet Les Noces, with music by Stravinsky, will be accompanied by the piece Soyez les bienvenus, with original music by the Franco-Algerian composer Malik Djoudi.

As part of the Algerian tour organised by the French Institutes in January 2023, Emilio travelled from Oran to Algiers, via Constantine, Tlemcen and Annaba. He had the chance to meet over 100 dancers, through master classes.

During these encounters, which were powerful in both human and artistic terms, he met artists with strong personalities and a desire to do and create that went beyond their possibilities. It quickly became clear that Emilio wanted to support this talent incubator on a more permanent basis, through a training project that would be more engaging than a Master class. With Yallah danse! the apprentices will be trained and nurtured throughout this cooperation project, the aim of which is to help develop the dance sector in Algeria.

They have a sincerity, a way of dancing and a raw energy that matches his approach in every way. He also wants to take these dancers beyond urban dance. Their background will be a tool for exploring new horizons and creating their own contemporary dance.

A choreographic incubator- Auditions were held at the French Institute of Algiers on 8 and 9 November 2023. The first class of Yallah danse! was born, made up of 20 apprentices, most of them self-taught or from urban dance backgrounds. Many are fans of social networks such as Instagram or TikTok, which often represent a window on the world, a form of inspiration and communication with the outside world. This allows them to mix styles and exchange ideas with other artists about cultures and approaches to the body, without ever losing their identity.

In the form of monthly sessions, the aim of the programme in which these apprentices are involved is not to train them in a specific dance style, but to give them the keys to developing their own dance. In order to enrich the training with complementary approaches to choreography, the sessions will be taught by several guest lecturers. Apprentices will benefit from technical classes, research laboratories and choreographic composition. The course will also include dance history classes and the viewing and analysis of contemporary works in collaboration with the Numeridanse platform.

A choreographic incubator connected to the professional world - Immersive courses in various professional structures, adapted to their career paths, are planned. Sylvain Groud, director of the Roubaix CCN, has also joined the project. He will be working with the partici- pants on the transmission of his piece l’Oubli, part of which will take place in Algiers and part in Roubaix, where it will be presented to the public.

Among the participants in the project, 2 choreographers will present an extract from their first creative project on the occasion of their visit to the Roubaix CCN in February 2024. This event will be a unique choreographic experience and will give them the opportunity to meet a panel of professionals.

An entrepreneurial approach - Particular attention will be paid to supporting apprentices with a view to giving them the operational skills they need to develop their projects in Algeria. Apprentices who wish to set up their own projects will be given support to help them structure their approach and understand the basics of setting up a project. All participants will receive support in understanding their administrative environment and identifying its resources.

The aim of the programme is to contribute fully to the structuring of the Algerian dance industry.

Why should you support us?

Yallah danse! is a cross-cultural collaboration which focuses on providing free training to young Algerian dancers, permitting them to develop their unique dance styles and choreographic identities. By providing free training and facilitating cross-cultural collaboration, we aim to promote inclusivity, diversity, and mutual understanding.

Given the current political context in Algeria, the project has already resonated with the population and is envisioned as a long-term collaboration involving three countries. Looking to the future, the skills and experiences gained through our project will enable Algerian youth to become agents of positive change in their communities and beyond.

This training is designed around two aspects: choreography and the fields of production and administration. As dance continues to evolve as a form of expression and communication, our project equips participants with the tools and perspectives needed to navigate and contribute to the ever-changing landscape of the arts.

Overall, Yallah danse! is not only relevant today but also holds promise for shaping the future of dance education and cross-cultural exchange, fostering a more inclusive, sustainable, and interconnected world.

Your support would help for:

Creating visual content (photographs, video clips, artistic files) to communicate the steps in the training and the progress of the participants' learning.
Assisting with the recording of the piece l'Oubli presented in Algiers and Roubaix, followed by the recording of Emilio Calcagno's double piece in order to create materials to be given to the dancers. The first two were used as intermediary materials to help the dancers continue their learning based on their own study of the work. The third, to complete the work.
Capturing the cartes blanches produced at the Roubaix CCN by 3 dancers who intend to become choreographers. They will be incorporated into the content of training courses in artistic project development.
Logistical support to ensure the presence of an accompanist from Algiers to facilitate travel in France, Europe and internationally.
Financial support for the dancers' visit to the Roubaix CCN - directed by Sylvain Groud in February 2025 (accommodation, meals).

Who are we?

EMILIO CALCAGNO, Director of compagnie ECO, project creator

Emilio Calcagno is a free spirit on the contemporary dance scene. Originally from Sicily, he arrived in France in 1989 to join the Rosella Hightower International Centre and then the Centre national de danse contemporaine d’Angers under the direction of Joëlle Bouvier and Régis Obadia.

In 1995, he joined the Ballet Preljocaj, with whom he danced on the most prestigious stages before taking responsibility for teaching activities and European projects, including the D.a.n.c.e. project in collaboration with W. Forsythe, F. Flamand, W. M. Gregor and A. Preljocaj.

The first pieces, which were on the borderline between dance and the world of comics, were followed by choreographies with a strong cinematographic dimension, one with which his contemporary movement is in constant dialogue. Fascinated by the marvellous and the universe of childhood, he likes to immerse himself in the world of fairy tales, such as Peau d’Âne in 2012, Les petites histoires de... inspired by the work of Tim Burton in 2018, and Pinocchio in 2021.

In 2018 he created Les 4 Saisons ou le Mariage du loup with 15 dancers from the Tunis Opera.

Since his pieces Catania and Isola, Emilio Calcagno has been exploring the territories of the Mediterranean, constantly mo- ving back and forth between France – his home country – and his native Sicily. Guided by his ability to listen and his sensitivity, he intertwines bodies and land according to his questions, whether they be geo-graphical, disciplinary, psychological or cultural. The interplays of influence he highlights reveal new shared territories and encourage us to look beyond borders. Between 2021 and 2024 he was Director of Dance at the Opéra du Grand Avignon. After Storm, a piece for 14 dancers and 7 industrial fans, D’un matin de printemps is his second signature work, in which he revisits the French musical repertoire of Debussy, Ravel and Satie with Ensemble Ouest and the 14 dancers of the Ballet. In 2023, he directed the 7*7 project, in which he invited 7 choreographers to share the stage with 7 Ballet dancers, and choreographed the opera Three Lunar Seas, directed by F. Roels.

ROSADA ZANGRI, performer and choreographic assistant

Artist, dancer and teacher, Rosada Letizia Zangri trained at the National Academy of Dance in Rome and then at the CND in Paris in 2022.

In 2010 she joined the company of Wayne McGregor and Ismael Ivo and continued her training with the Zappalà company. In 2015 she joined Emilio Calcagno’s ECO company as a performer in various pieces such as Catania Catania, L’Isola and Pinocchio.

Since 2012, she has been working with various institutions, including Scenario Pubblico and the Conservatoire Régional de Paris, on their educational content. She organises workshops in contemporary techniques and dance theatre for professional training courses. In 2013, she won the “young choreographers” competition in Sicily with Sospiri. In 2018, she continued her career alongside Emilio Calcagno as assistant choreographer with Vivaldi’s 4 Seasons in Tunis. The same year, she collaborated with Cie MF as a performer for the piece Farde-moi. In 2019 she presented her first work at the Perfomare festival, Cori.

SYLVAIN GROUD, Director of the National Choreography Center of Roubaix and choreographer

A graduate of the CNSMD de Paris, Sylvain Groud began his career under the guidance of Gigi Caciuleanu and Angelin Preljocaj. Winner of the International Competition of Paris, he has created over 30 pieces with his company MAD. Since 2018, he has been directing the Ballet du Nord, CCN Roubaix Hauts-de-France, producing participatory performances and duets. In response to the 2020 health crisis, he conceived the piece 4m², presented in various venues, including schools and nursing homes. Since 2020, he has collaborated with videographer Léonard Barbier-Hourdin to create choreographic films rooted in the Hauts-de-France region. His projects often involve local residents. In 2021, he created two choreographic duets and plans his next creation, Des chimères dans la tête, for 2023.

MALIK DJOUDI, composer and singer

Malik Djoudi was born in Poitiers in 1979 son of a French father and a Vietnamese-Algerian mother. At the age of 18, he moved to Paris and composed sound illustrations for te- levision and film, which enabled him to buy his first home studio to make arrangements.

There he attended singing lessons with Klaus Blasquiz, the former virtuoso vocalist from the group Magma3, and em- barked on a career as a musician and singer in English with various bands including Alan Cock, Kim Tim and Moon Pallas. He performed all over the world as part of choreographer Pierre Rigal’s rock opera Micro and the musical Même.

At the age of 25, he began composing and writing his own songs in French. He released his first album, Un, in 2015. His second album, Tempéraments, was released in 2019. On this occasion, he recorded the track À tes côtés with Étienne Daho. The album was nominated at the Victoires de la Musique awards in the Album Revelation of the Year category. His third album, Troie, came out in 2021. This album featured contributions from Philippe Katerine, Lala &ce and Isabelle Adjani.

In September 2024, Malik Djoudi released his fourth album, which according to Les Inrocks was the “best French album of the year”. He will play a sold-out show at La Cigale in Paris in December 2024 and at L’Olympia in November 2025.