Kẹmi_Idiom Infos

Kẹmi Contemporary Dance Projects
About
There is, in the human body, a limitless potential for new expression: something which
has never before been seen and yet resonates universally. This creative ideal guides
Jennifer Dallas’ Kẹmi Contemporary Dance Projects (Kẹmi). Founded in 2008, Kẹmi’s
repertoire reveals a playful, insightful mind at work interpreting the layers of the human,
spirit and body.
Dallas’ work takes an intimate look at human interactions and offers insights into widely
divergent ideas of what the self is. Extended travel informs and compels much of her
work and affects many of her collaborations. Many of her Made in Canada Dances, while
made in Canada, were influenced by strong and active creative partnerships across
continents.
With an emphasis on learning through experiencing the (globalized) world, Dallas uses
teaching and training as a framework in which to expand her network of students and
colleagues. The spirit of these friendships combines with the landscape, or urban
cityscape, to inform the creation in observable ways. The company believes in the
infectious joy of dance and its ability to connect with audiences of very diverse
backgrounds.
Married with images, experiences and teachings, Dallas uses music to inform the
language of the dancing body. Dallas works with composers from diverse cultural and
economic settings whose scores are specifically crafted, sometimes recorded, for use in
her work.
Biography Jennifer Dallas
Dancer/Choreographer
Jennifer Dallas is a Toronto-based dancer, choreographer, teacher, and costume
designer. She is the artistic director of Kẹmi Contemporary Dance Projects (Kẹmi).
Hailing from the Canadian Rockies, Dallas began her formal dance training at a very
young age in ballet and contemporary dance. She is a graduate of The School of
Toronto Dance Theatre. In 2010, Dallas was the Metcalf-funded intern for 10 Gates
Dancing under the direction of Tedd Robinson. That year, she was also a K.M. Hunter
Award nominee. In 2005, Dallas received a DanceWEB scholarship to study at ImPuls
Tanz in Vienna, Austria. She currently sits on the board of directors for the Canadian
Alliance of Dance Artists – Ontario Chapter.
Since her choreographic debut in 2005, Dallas’ work has been presented by the Nigerian
festivals Truefesta and Dance meets Danse. In Toronto she has twice been copresented by DanceWorks and Dance Ontario. She has created commissioned works
for The Crazyfish Collective, The School of Toronto Dance Theatre, and the Scream
literary festival. Most recently Dallas self produced STAGES with new works by Tedd
Robinson and Jennifer Dallas.
Dallas has performed in original choreographic works by Marc Boivin, Susie Burpee,
Adedayo Liadi, and Tedd Robinson. In July, 2012 Dallas was guest teacher and artist in
residence in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, as part of Engagement Féminin 2009-2010 (a
training, creation, and performance project for West African dancers). In August, 2012
she was artist in residence at Kolban Dance in Jerusalem, Israel. Her work overseas
continued in 2014 with a new commission for the Johannesburg company Moving In To
Dance premiering as part Dance Umbrella South Africa in March and presentation of La
Bas as part of Kazan International Festival in Kazan Russia.
Bienvenue Bazie
Dancer/Choreographer
Born in Didyr in the province of Sanguié, Burkina Faso, Bienvenue Bazié joined the
Burkinabé artistic troupe the Bourgeon in 1993 where he studied multidisciplinary
training in dance, theatre, poetry and music. With Bourgeon, Bienvenue travelled
through the provinces of Burkina Faso. He later decided to focus on dance and
choreography and participated in a number of intensives and training workshops in
Ouagadougou, offered by choreographers including Salia Sanou and Seydou Boro,
Xavier Lot, and Eric Mézino, amongst others.
Bienvenue Bazié is the co-director of Art' Dév / Cie Auguste Bienvenue, the company
that he founded in 2000, and of Wa Tid Saou, founded in 2009 in France. He is dancer,
choreographer, and creator, in collaboration with partner August Ouédraogo for all of the
Art' Dév / Cie Auguste Bienvenue works, which include: Buudu in 2002, Tin Souk Ka in
2005, Traces in 2007, in collaboration with L'association des plasticiens, le Génie de la
Bastille, Tourments Noirs in 2009, and Engagement Féminin 2009-2010 (a training,
creation and performance project for West African dancers).
In addition to the work created with Art’ Dév/ Cie Auguste Bienvenue, he collaborates
with other companies: from 2002 to 2005 with Kongo Ba Téria (Ouagadougou) : Vin
Nem, Frères sans stèle, Nagtaba (collaboration between Kongo Ba Téria and
Compagnie Tché Tché d'Abidjan); since September 2004 with compagnie ULAL DTO
(Xavier Lot): Welcome to Bienvenue, Derrière les Mur/murs; and in 2008, Étrange
Etrange with Pambè Dance Company.
Idiom
Artistic director Jennifer Dallas met dancer and choreographer Bienvenue Bazié in
Lagos, Nigeria, at Trufesta 2009 International Dance Festival. While teaching and
performing at Trufesta, they discovered a strong continuity in each other’s artistic
practices and sensibilities. Directly following Trufesta, Dallas traveled to Ouagadougou,
Burkina Faso to work with Bazié and investigate the possibility of future collaborations.
In February 2011 Converse was born by way of a two week residency in Ouagadougou,
Burkina Faso.
Following the success of Converse the two have come together to create Idiom. The
work began in Toronto and Ottawa in the spring of 2012 and premiered in
Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso in the summer of 2012.
About Idiom
Created and Performed by Jennifer Dallas and Bienvenue Bazié
Music composed and recorded by John MacLean
Lighting design by Oz Weaver
Premier July 2012 | Ouagadougou Burkina Faso
Kẹmi gratefully acknowledges the support of the Ontario Arts Council for the creation of
Idiom
Idiom, a collaborative duet between Jennifer Dallas, Bienvenue Bazié of Burkina Faso
and musician John MacLean. Idiom stands on the shoulders of Converse , a duet
created in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso and Toronto for Danceworks CoWorks 2011
season.
The subject is language, the idioms of Idiom may be musical, verbal or movementbased. What are the effects of borderlessness? What are cultural norms as they
manifest in dialog? Idiom will presents an exploration of like and unlike cultures and how
that’s changing human ways.
Thoughts from Bienvenue
Idiome est la continuité de converse (résultat de mes premiers échanges artistiques
avec Jennifer Dallas) C’est une création chorégraphique basée sur le renforcement et le
partage de nos connaissances en générale et en particulier artistiques, notamment la
danse. Idiome, contrairement a Converse (ou les bancs malgré les multiple facettes
créent une barrière, des frontières) est pour moi, une écriture qui offre un espace sans
frontière, ou la rencontre est facile… ou toute différence a tendance a disparaitre pour
laisser voir une danse singulière, Idiom.
Press Quote from our first work together | Converse
Converse is a collaboration about collaboration, with its inherent struggles to understand
and communicate with, create with, artists from a different culture. Voice, humor,
mimicry, compassion – these are the enabling universals that allow such an exchange to
happen and they are all evident in this work. It’s a hopeful message that couldn’t be
clearer in its implications for the wider world and everyone in it. - The Dance Current
Kathleen M. Smith