Reflex is the first creation by the choreographer Didier Boutiana. He is fascinated by the ability of urban dances to be performed in groups and to bring people together. He follows this living-together through the journey of a hip hop dance trio. 

The choreographer’s creative processes started when he encouraged his peers to improvise to dubstep: this is an experimental musical construction with an electronic sound and a syncopated rhythm, on the offbeat. He saw that the natural movements of improvisation are falls and rolls, which are performed to avoid impact with the ground. The dancer follows his intuition and frees himself through his reflexes. When one body leans on another the result is not a lift but rather an escape, like a refusal to make contact with the others. 

Dancing in a trio presents an obstacle for each dancer. Whereas duos are formed spontaneously, a third participant in the piece struggles to get near the duo. A counterbalance is often created by two people, leaning on each other in such a way that the third member is excluded.

Didier Boutiana is faithful to the Creole language and culture, and brings in Franky Lauret to declaim a capella and with music: “Gaya” and “Bwa la”, which are “fondkèr”, a poem, a state of mind. 

On stage, each dancer has his log of wood, with a rope tied around to be able to grip it and move it around: they are like obstacles, a personal burden to be dragged around the stage.  It is an ambivalent object, it represents an obstacle but enables the dancer to rise up. The trio is in search of a space for communication through movement but this is hampered by this ever-present burden.

Source : Lalanbik

Didier Boutiana is director of Company Soul City since 2011.

2009 and again 2010, Didier is awarded with the title of Reunion’s best bboy. Since 2008, he has joined Réunion’s main hiphop and contemporary dance companies as a performer.

2011, he becomes Soul City’s choreographer and develops the performance Body of knowledge in partnership with the South African Dusi Dance Company.

His company work Reflex, created 2013, has been acclaimed by both, the audience and dance professionals.

In the year 2015, Didier Boutiana was invited to participate at the choreographic research program for the Indian Ocean, ECUMe, an initiative of TEAT Champ Fleuri, in partnership with CND Pantin, coordinated by Yuval Pick. In this frame, at CND, he participated at a training- and research residency with the dancers Bertwin D’Souza (India) and Anjara Rasamiarison (Madagaskar), and at the program “Camping” (with Bertwin D’Souza/India and Nadjani Bulin/La Réunion).

The same year, Didier created the trio work Priyèr’ Sï Priyèr’. 2017, he develops his first solo: KANYAR.

Didier Boutiana’s choreographic identity is based on the deconstruction of esthetics, his capacity to take risks and to go beyond his limits, while maintaining an aim to unify. His dance is situated in a space of friendship, encounters, exchange and alterity. Boutiana’s choreographic research gives life to an instinctive and intuitive movement which, once mastered by dancers, can once again focus on unity, on a “Re-union”.

Source : Didier Boutiana’s website

More information : http://caminaktion.eu/ 

Lalanbik was founded in 2014, in Reunion Island. It contributes to the  valorization of actors and choreographics writings of Indian Ocean  territories. Lalanbik implement online ressources tools : the first is  its website, concerning the Indian Ocean Dance news, and the other one  is its online video library, which brings contents about contemporary  and traditional dance writings. Lalanbik works in partnership to lead  its actions in favor of the widening of publics with : libraries,  theatres, dance schools, schools and higher education.

Source : Lalanbik's website

More information : www.lalanbik.org/