Tando

Earth. European and African earth. Our roots and theirs, a tangle of roots. Dansgroep Krisztina de Châtel and the Salai nï Sedou dance company from Burkina Faso have joined forces to make Tando, a term that means earth in the language of this West African group. Accompanied by live African music.

Tando is about meetings between European and West African dancers. Worlds that sometimes collide, and bodies that literally and figuratively bump into each other. Sometimes violently and sometimes tenderly; in all the ways that people can be different. The audience can expect a new and unique experience as the three choreographers, Krisztina de Châtel, Salia Sanou and Seydou Boro, exercise their imagination.

The first time De Châtel saw a performance by her African colleagues, she was impressed: ‘Sobre, austere, compact and rhythmical; those were the aspects that struck me. It reminded me of my own vision on dance.’ The choreographers also share an interest in the purity of human movement, with all his unrest, passion, dynamism and explosiveness. ‘Both for them and for us, it is about seeking optimal authenticity,’ comments de Châtel.

Compagnie Salia nï Sedou
Choreographers Krisztina de Châtel, Salia Sanou and Seydou Boro all played an equal part in the production. The Salia nï Sedou dance company is based in Burkina Faso and regularly goes on tour abroad. The group is named after the founders: Salia Sanou and Seydou Boro. Their style is characterised by a unique combination of African and Western dance and theatre. Their engaged work is always recognisable as dance, despite the theatrical and narrative elements. Physical means of expression always play a key role.

Salia and Sedou met in 1992 and founded their own company in 1994. In the same year, they made their first joint choreography: Le Siècle des Fous, which was followed by several other choreographies, both joint and solo projects. Tagaalà, le voyageur and Weeleni were on show during the Julidans festival in Amsterdam in 2001 and 2003. The company is now internationally renowned.

premiere 7 July 2006, Stadsschouwburg Amsterdam
choreography Krisztina de Châtel, Salia Sanou, Seydou Boro
dance Seydou Boro, Daniel Costa, Orokiya Kone, Andreas Kuck, Cecilia Moisio, Massimo Molinari, Francesca Monti, Keyna Nara, Ousséni Sako, Salia Sanou, Goran Turnsek
music Dramane Diabaté, Han Otten
stagedesign Niek Kortekaas
light Niek Kortekaas
costumes Edith Ordelman
photography Ton van Til