“Abidjan-Limoges”, Massidi Adiatou combines “rue Princesse” with the Francophonies of Limoges

From our special correspondent in Limoges,

Under wide-eyed eyes, the smile disappears, the body trusts the rhythm… Abidjan – Limoges, the shortest route had promised the stroll starting from Place de la Motte. On this rainy Wednesday, you had to see the unfailing enthusiasm of the spectators to get an idea of ​​the impact caused by the spectacular performance of the 15 dancers from the N’Soleh company.

Directed by the Ivorian choreographer Massidi Adiatou (internationally recognized since he designed the opening ceremony of the African Cup of Nations in 2002) and carried by music bubbling with African colors, they generously took on board around fifty of amateurs in their danced dream. Encouraged by spectators delighted to experience an exceptional moment in the streets of Limoges.

Massidi Adiatou pays tribute to the creativity and madness of rue Princesse

And this was only the first part of a spectacular opening of the Festival des Francophonies in Limoges, dedicated to the spirit of Rue Princesse d’Abidjan. In the evening, on the stage of the Grand-Théâtre, the artists from Ivory Coast continued to amaze us with their motto: We go down to rue Princesse.

For a long time, this street located in the commune of Yopougon in northern Abidjan was an essential destination for experiencing all the (un)imaginable excesses caused by human desires, and also a mecca of Ivorian culture, from coupé-décalé to Afrofuturism. And in his show, Massidi Adiatou pays homage to this crazy freedom embodied by the creative and festive soul of this street, the expression of all the possibilities of the Ivory Coast.

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Dressed by the future, the dancers make their entrance onto the stage of the Grand-Théâtre. A good-natured show, marked by excess. However, gravity is not avoided. At the very beginning, there is the aesthetic shock, framed by two columns where QR codes scroll. And while the Ivorian dancers perform the coupé-décalé in their wildly imaginative clothes, Massidi Adiatou lets images from the colonial era displaying the “negro arts” scroll in the background. These are African masks from Benin, country of the first restitution of works looted by colonial troops.

A storm of arms and legs

But this moment of trouble quickly gives way to the party and the intoxication of “rue Princesse”. There are no more rules, no more limits. Acrobats and contortionists defy natural laws. Beer crates fly through the air. Without forgetting the intimate relationship that African urban dances maintain with the colonial past and the bodies of immigrants. Here, electric movements transform into rays of light in a time of grayness. In this open-air maquis, desires are revealed, and so are abilities… Nothing seems impossible anymore. We witness a storm of arms and legs, breathtaking jerky movements. The bodies are transformed into boxes of miracles: thrown to the ground, each time, they get up again with strength and beauty. An elasticity of the body in harmony with that of the mind, shining – like the costumes – in the dark.

Interview with Massidi Adiatou, choreographer of the show We go down to rue Princesse.

RFI: You came from Abidjan to present with your company and amateurs from Limoges a stroll, Abdijan – Limoges, the shortest routein the streets of Limoges. On your way Abidjan – Limoges, what was the most surprising thing you discovered? ?

Massidi Adiatou : In Abidjan-Limoges, the shortest routethe strongest thing we discovered was the mixture of all ages, all differences, the sharing that happened between normal people, children, grandmothers. I was surprised to even have a 76-year-old man among the participants! It moved me. With the enthusiasm they gave us, we wanted to go even further. Then we also wanted to make this marriage, which already exists between Ivory Coast and France, to do it again with Abidjan and Limoges. For me, we did it. This is a great achievement. We did something truly exceptional between Abidjan and Limoges. As you saw, the result was incredible, with a lot of emotion. I’m used to doing events of this scale, but this was very surprising for me.

We go down to rue Princesse. Is this a utopian piece ?

Utopian? You could say that. Rue Princesse is the Ivory Coast. This street is a soul of Ivorian culture. It is a bastion of urban and contemporary creation in Ivory Coast, even beyond the location, the maquis, the show… It is a legendary place. I remember the cultural and world figures I met on this street. They came, because Abidjan was Rue Princesse. Otherwise, it was like going to France without seeing the Eiffel Tower. This is not possible. Today, we perhaps no longer have the famous Rue Princesse [suite à un plan de réhabilitation urbaine, elle fut détruite en 2011, NDLR]but “rue Princesse” is now found in all Ivorian communes and almost everywhere in the streets. We moved it everywhere. It is a place that has become part of our heritage. As a creator and choreographer, I want my street to travel around the world and for people to feel that street.

This extraordinary spectacle is located in 2030, in an open-air scrub, the New Black, THE New Black ? Is this your exploration of the unknown, of the planet Mars ?

No, I wouldn’t say that. But it’s a new world. At the same time, Ivory Coast and Africa are connected to the world. This is contemporary Africa, urban Africa. Why am I talking about 2030? Because for me this rue Princesse and this culture will continue to live. Traditional dance has existed for a long time, and it continues to exist in 2024. For me, Rue Princesse is today part of the cultural heritage of our country. And I want it to take over the whole world. For this, I keep promoting shows to remind people that this street is extremely important in the culture of our country.

► We go down to rue Princesseartistic and choreographic direction: Massidi Adiatou. Presented on September 25 and 27 at the Grand-Théâtre Limoges as part of the Francophonies, festival of theatrical creations, which takes place from September 25 to October 5, 2024.