OMMA

Atelier 3+1 Paris (FR)

There are eight of them, in jackets and black trousers, a nod to Josef Nadj’s timeless silhouette. In lending them his costume, he commits each dancer not to walk in his footsteps, but to reveal his own singularity. Above all, OMMA is a story of sharing and passing on.In this new work, the Hungarian choreographer has put together a group of eight dancers hailing from Mali, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso and the two Congos. Together, they form one single body – black, or fekete, as they proclaim… in Hungarian. A plural body in which each affirms his own language, identity, his own dance: a captivating feedback loop between group and individual that leads us, inevitably, to the human being as universal. Can the piece be called “organic”? OMMA undoubtedly hails back to the roots of dance, with movement as its essence and the universe as its horizon. Josef Nadj has embarked his artists on a voyage to the roots of dance that might reveal the equilibrium of our universe. Echoing the circle of life, this new choreographic piece looks into something essential: our ability to look at what’s in front of us so we can better see what lies deep within us, in a common destiny. Hence, OMMA’s ancient Greek meaning shines new light: “eye”, but also “what is seen or looked at”. There lies an invitation to keep our senses awake so we can better capture this dance, dedicated to the genesis of humanity. (Marylène Malbert)
Josef Nadj (b. 1957) - choreographer and dancer, but also a visual artist and photographer, created over 30 performances. Oscillating between reality and fantasy, tradition and modernity, he questions the essential: the relationship of man to himself.
 

Choregraphy: Josef Nadj
Performers: Djino Alolo Sabin, Timothé Ballo, Abdel Kader Diop, Aipeur Foundou, Bi Jean Ronsard irié, Jean-Paul Mehansio, Marius Sawadogo, Boukson Sere
Artistic collaboration: Ivan Fatjo
Lights: Rémi Nicolas
Soundtrack: Tatsu Aoki & Malachi Favors Maghostut, Peter Brötzmann & Han Bennink, Eureka Brass Band, Jigsaw, Lucas Niggli, Peter Vogel
Technical direction: Sylvain Blocquaux
Sound engineer: Shoï / Ivan Fatjo
 
Duration: 55 min
Nonverbal performance