SuSy – Nisrine Chiba in Montpellier

Nisrine Chiba – Administrator of Espace Darja Casablanca (Marrocco)

From May the 22d, 2017 to June, the 5^th, 2017

First preparatory meeting for the EXERCE-AL Projet Labo project

ICI-CCN Montpellier June 2017

The objective of meeting students in their workplace during the EXERCE training programme, was to present Espace Darja, the Casablanca residence dedicated to contemporary dance, and its programme “Al...Projet Labo”, for transmission with young Moroccan dancers. We wanted to share with students the engagement of the directors and heads of training for our two organisations to build a bridge between ourselves and the two groups of young dancers; it was now time to hear students’ opinions, ideas and requests regarding this project.

The rules for this exchange necessarily encompass the diversity of profiles within and between the two groups, but also the different contexts in the two countries, both in general terms and in terms of dance training. While most of the EXERCE students already have a training path in dance, the “Al Projet Labo” students only have “on the job” experience, and have not attended formal art or dance school. It was made clear to the students that this is a peer to peer exchange project based mainly on physical practice and training.

Our discussions turned to the format of the first common residence period in Casablanca in January; the protocol required sufficient structure to benefit from the short week while remaining sufficiently flexible to let spontaneity emerge. The students soon suggested that they work on the common points which unite them as dancers, while showing curiosity as to the different nuances of dance practice on the other side of the Mediterranean. This led to the idea of questioning the preparation technique(s) for dancers, their daily, personal “training” programmes, and their relationship with their city, drawing a link between Casablanca and Montpellier. In order to overcome the distance factor, prepare the residence and foster project involvement, a digital correspondence box is suggested for students to begin sharing ideas and material from this point, in order to generate upstream involvement and exchange.