Presentation
On stage is a group of fifteen young artists. The troupe includes women and men, Moroccan acrobats, dancers, football freestylers, break-dancers, and taekwondo practitioners, all immersed in the visual universe of the photographer Hassan Hajjaj and accompanied by the music of DJ KEY. The entire performance has been staged/circographed by Maroussia Diaz Verbèke.
The artists were chosen after an audition that took place in Morocco in the autumn of 2018. They were selected for their art, their energy, their desire, and their personality. This collective vitality has something to tell us and the FIQ! show is the messenger.
This show is an exhilarating collection of acrobatics, stunts, thoughts, colors, music, ideas, sketches, slides, races, stools, faces, babouches, choreographies, head games, caps, concepts, quotes, text messages, and other joys. It combines modern and twirling alchemies that results in something between a DJ set and a fiery rap, between flashy colors and black and white questions.
This performance is a luminous and acrobatic exploration that results in a tender, profound, and playful ode that reveals these young people's perspectives on the Morocco of today.
With the artists (from Tangier, but also Rabat-Salé, Casablanca, Larache...) Najwa Aarras, Mohamed Takel, Samir Lâaroussi, Hamza Naceri, Hammad Benjkiri, Manon Rouillard, Youssef El Machkouri, Tarik Hassani, Hassan Taher, Bouchra El Kayouri, Ayoub Maani, Zhor al Amine Demnati, Ilyas Bouchtaoui, Achraf El Kati, Nora Bouhlala Chacón, and DJ Key
Director / Circographer* Maroussia Diaz Verbèke
Assistant director Sanae El Kamouni
Acrographic consultant William Thomas / BAM
Lifts and banquine consultants Basile Narcy Maxime Sol.
Trampoline Arnaud Thomas
Scenography and costume design Hassan Hajjaj
Costume consultant Bouchra Salih
Technical director / General management Cécile Hérault
Light design and technician Laure Andurand
Musical creation DJ Key and other collaborators
Sound design and technician Joël Abriac
Technical support Marine David
Director of Groupe Acrobatique de Tanger Sanae El Kamouni
Production, distribution & development Jean-François Pyka
Administration & development Pauline Horteur
General logistics and tour consultants Alexandra Cahen and Clara Aycard
Photo exhibition and graphic design Hassan Hajjaj
* Circography, a neologism coined by Maroussia Diaz Verbèke, designates the specific writing of a circus show. (It also means "let’s go crazy" in Lithuanian, but this is a coincidence).
Production Halka (Paris, France)
Coproduction Scènes du Maroc (Tangiers, Morocco).
Coproductions & residencies Les Nuits de Fourvière international festival in Lyon / Le Manège national theater in Reims / CIRCa national circus center in Auch, Gers in Occitanie / Plateforme 2 Pôles Cirque in Normandy, La Brèche in Cherbourg and Cirque Théâtre d’Elbeuf / Agora national circus arts center for Boulazac-Aquitaine / La Ferme du Buisson in Noisiel / National theater in Châteauvallon / La Verrerie d’Alès national circus center in Occitanie / Théâtre de Grasse national theater for circus and dance / Institut Français in Paris
Halka receives support from the DRAC cultural agency in Ile-de-France, the Ministry of Culture, the Institut Français in Paris, the Region Ile de France, Spedidam, and the City of Paris. The Groupe Acrobatique de Tanger is supported by the Fondation BMCI, the Fondation BNP PARIBAS, the Fondation DROSOS, the provincial delegation of culture in Tangier, the Institut Français in Marrakesh, the Maison Denise Masson in Morocco, Awaln'art and the African Capitals of Culture program (Morocco), the Movenpick Mansour Eddahbi in Marrakesh, and the Marrakesh convention center, the Théâtre Nomade in Casablanca.
"Known as the Andy Warhol of Marrakesh, Hassan Hajjaj's images evoke a luminous, pop sensibility while questioning the identity and relevance of the frenzy of our modern world."
– El Pais
"What is extraordinary with Maroussia Diaz Verbèke is the sense of meaning that springs forth, both vibrant and striking."
– Télérama
There is a passionate woman at the origin of the Groupe Acrobatique de Tanger: Sanae El Kamouni. In 2003, she was the one who gathered a group of Moroccan acrobats to launch a project dedicated to contemporary forms of the acrobatic arts.
Several shows were created, including TAOUB (Aurélien Bory – 2004), Chouf Ouchouf (Zimmermann & de Perrot – 2009), Azimut (Aurélien Bory – 2013), and Halka (collective work by the Groupe Acrobatique de Tanger with artistic oversight from Abdeliazide Senhadji – 2016).
The Groupe Acrobatique de Tanger places grassroots culture at the heart of its project, a culture that is militant, democratic, and accessible to all. Questioning, preserving, and promoting Moroccan acrobatics are the company's priorities. Its approach is based on the search for links between ancestral arts and contemporary creation, between a territory and its population.
The company is defined by its dual dialectics – tradition and contemporary creation from Morocco, on African soil, and France, in Europe. With this perspective, the Groupe Acrobatique de Tanger confronts us with extraordinary subjects and pursues some of the most innovative research in the contemporary circus.