Compagnie La BARAKA/Abou Lagraa (France, Algeria)
Of Algerian descent and born in Annonay/French Alps region in 1970, Abou Lagraa started dancing at age 16 before joining Lyon's National Conservatory of Dance where he worked with numerous guest choreographers. From 1993 to 1997, he primarily danced with Rui Horta's S.O.A.P. Dance Theater in Frankfurt/Germany and French choreographer Lionel Hoche before winning 2nd Prize for contemporary dance at the 1998 Paris International Dance Competition.
Bernard Schmidt Productions, Inc - click to Contact Us
16 Penn Plaza, Suite 545, New York, NY 10001, USA Tel/fax: 1-212-564-4443
For the past two years, Cie La BARAKA has also been working in close collaboration with Carthage's Dance Festival in Tunisia where its dancers teach workshops and perform works from the repertoire. The company now tours extensively across France and elsewhere in Europe and, concluded its first tour of Asia during June 06.
Abou Lagraa has been the subject of several public television broadcasts including the renown Musique au Coeur, a monthly show dedicated to classical music, and the French/German arts network ARTE. He has also been invited by the Paris Opera and Memphis Ballet companies to choreograph new works which had their world premieres, respectively in March 06 and early 09. Cie La BARAKA/Abou Lagraa made its US debut during October 06 in New York as part of the annual and sold-out Fall for Dance Festival at City Center Theater.
Following successful engagements in Houston, Southern CA, at The Kennedy Center and at Meany Hall in Seattle, the Company returned to the US during two weeks in early 2011 with A World in Itself, featuring live music by the Lyon based award winning Debussy String Quartet. Lagraa's new project is entitled NYA, a 75 mns long work on Ravel 's Bolero and songs from Algeria's Aures mountains for an all male cast of 10 hip-hop dancers from the National Ballet of Algeria. which he developed as part of his French-Mediterranean cultural bridge. Following its sold out European premiere week engagement at the Lyon International Dance Biennale during Fall 10 and subsequent extensive touring, NYA will be available for its first North American tour during February-mid March 2013.
International artists from around the world, at the crossroads of tradition and innovation!
After establishing his own company La BARAKA in February 97 with fellow dancer Aurelia Picot, Lagraa quickly started choreographing for various dance companies in Europe including Ballet de Lorraine in Nancy and Angers' National Choreography Center in France, while also staging two street parades for medium size cities around Lyon. Since 2003, Cie La BARAKA, which includes 10 to 12 dancers of various ethnic backgrounds, has been in residence at Annecy's Bonlieu Scene Nationale and Les Gemeaux in Sceaux, two major national arts centers respectively located in the French Alps and near Paris. As such, Artistic Director Lagraa choreographed several full evening works including Allegoria Stanza which received its 100th performance in January 06!, Cutting Flat, Ou Transe, which smoothly combine hip-hop and contemporary dance movements, Matri(k)is which had its premiere in January 07 at Paris Theatre National de Chaillot and, D'Eux Sens, a duo he danced with his wife Nawal of Moroccan descent.
