“Highlights: at the time of our performance, the atmosphere was really great.
Accomplishments: We succeeded in getting the public to concentrate with us and to search for new movements.
Lessons learned: The new experiences gained through the workshops have allowed me to push my body and to improve the quality of my movement.
[…]
My vision for the future is, first of all, to participate in many creative projects and artistic presentations, and to share my experience with other international dancers. I would also like to create my own presentation in the future.”
– Nabil Najihi
(translated from French)
Grant Year : 2015
Profile : Dancer
Gender : M
Mobility project
Casablanca-based dancers Mourad Koula and Nabil Najihi travelled to Alexandria to participate in “Projets solos,” a creation project organized as part of the Nassim el Raqs Festival of interdisciplinary choreography in public space, which takes place between April 16 and May 3.
Mr. Koula and Mr. Najihi are dancers based in Casablanca, Morocco. While coming from different dance backgrounds, both are members of Espace Darja, one of Morocco’s leading contemporary dance centres. Mourad Koula is trained in contemporary dance, theatre and circus performance, while Nabil Najihi is trained primarily in hip-hop and street dance. Both recently became affiliated with Ex Nihilo, a dance company led by choreographers Annie Le Batard, Corinne Pontana and Jean Antoine Bigot and whose principal mission is to develop dance in public space.
Nassim el Raqs is a research, creation and experimentation laboratory devoted to fostering dance and the movement of the body in the urban spaces of Alexandria. Conceived in collaboration with longtime partner Ex Nihilo, “Project Solos” brought together young dancers from across the Mediterranean region to explore questions regarding dance in situ under the direction of renowned choreographers. Mr. Koula and Mr. Najihi were selected to represent Morocco. They presented the fruit of their 3-week stay in Alexandria during the Nassim el Raqs festival in early May.
Session
May
Type of Project
Residency
Departure : Casablanca, Morocco
Destination : Alexandria, Egypt