FormationCamping

Irène Tassembédo

Camping Workshop

17 > 21.06.19

CN D Pantin

Originally from Burkina Faso, Irène Tassembédo developed in Europe in the early 1980s a new approach to African dance, set in the present and yet continuously reinventing itself, while drawing on its roots. An eclectic artist, she has worked in particular with the stage director Matthias Langhoff since 1993. On returning to Burkina Faso in 2007, she founded the ÉDIT (École de Danse Internationale Irène Tassembédo) with the aim of developing a high-level course of professional training for African dancers and choreographers. She is also responsible for the artistic direction of the Festival International de Danse de Ouagadougou (FIDO), which she founded in 2013. Since 2015, she has made several films. As a resolutely committed artist when it comes to the question of women in the world of culture, she considers that the development of this sector is one of the keys for combatting the rise of radicalisms and for the resilience of African peoples against the violence of poverty and armed conflicts.

“Drawing my roots from traditional dance, as my primary strength, my work is also enriched by other dance techniques, powerful encounters with creators, stage directors, musicians, visual artists... It is the reflection of my life’s path which is in perpetual mutation. The presence of musicians is fundamental. Music is not just a support for the dance, it is an integral part of the dialogue which is engaged on the stage. Each draws its creativity from the other. The dancers adapt their gestures to the music. The body becomes a score and thus liberates itself.”
Irène Tassembédo