In recent years, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts has made significant efforts to increase their international programming, making San Francisco a place to see world-class dance. There has been a special focus on work from the African Diaspora, especially since the Museum of the African Diaspora opened last year. Says YBCA director Ken Foster, "We're committed to presenting cutting-edge work from Africa, and Compagnie TchéTché is one of the most powerful voices to emerge from that continent over the last decade." On December 1 & 2, YBCA will present the all-woman company from Abidjan, Republique de Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast). The company will present Dimi (Women's Sorrow ), choreographed by director Beatrice Kombe.
This will be the second African company presented at YBCA this year (Compagnie Jant-Bi from Senegal performed last October), illustrating the West's interest in work from Africa. Next year, the San Francisco International Arts Festival's theme will be a conversation across the African Diaspora. Much of the work being presented by African choreographers is political in nature, reflecting the complex and passionate nature of the African culture. Kombe says, "I like to address themes that affect my everyday life: visa problems, how hard it is to circulate as an African artist, daily pressure, working conditions, North-South relationships."
Dimi examines social injustice, repressive morality and the patriarchal nature of the African culture, and "shows that women are not the weaker gender." The company's goal is to reconfigure the African woman's "subservient" image and illustrate their strength and passion. The dancing is powerful and risky, rooted in the traditional African syntax but tempered with contemporary ideas and language. Says Kombe, "What I am trying to do is to find a language, a voice that belongs to TchéTché, and to communicate it to the audience."
Foster describes the company as "an entirely new aesthetic, grounded in their African roots but expressive of the contemporary realities of urban Africa. It's unlike anything else I've see." Kombe trains the dancers in a junior company and is the sole choreographer for the all-woman professional group. "I get along better with women, they have a better understanding of things. They have more wisdom and think more globally. I wanted to show that women can be in leadership positions, and they can build and achieve endeavors, too."
The Ivory Coast doesn't have an extensive history of contemporary dance, and this has helped TcheTche to develop a unique movement language that is unlike other modern companies. "I have a traditional background. I did some contemporary dance workshops, and those were my first contact with a different kind of dance. Those encounters triggered something, I wanted to find my own technique, my own language."
Even The New York Times recognized their distinctive style, calling the work "astounding" and stating that TchéTché "makes Western modern dance look tame."
An important part of TchéTché's aesthetic is the collaborative nature in creating new work. Dancers are trained to add their stories and personal experiences to the creative process, making each piece a unique experience for the artists. "We work a lot with improvisation. Each member tries to put out the creative research done within the company. Put out the answers that they found to the questions."
Kombe's focus is to create an experience where the viewer feels as if they are witnessing the creative process. "It is something that comes from inside, that we are trying to share with the audience. It's about finding the key that allows the audience to view and understand our performances almost as if they had witnessed the whole creation process."
Compagnie TchéTché, Dec. 1-2 at 8 p.m. YBCA Forum, 701 Mission St., SF. Tickets ($19-$25): (415) 978-ARTS or www.ybca.org.