Company
Rary
(Madagascar)
About
Company Rary
Based in Antananarivo,
Madagascar’s capital city since 1998, Compagnie Rary
includes 10 permanent members: seven dancers, two musicians,
and a dancer/choreographer Ariry Andriamoratsiresy. The company
manages to ply its trade thanks to the school of dance, which
they manage in Antananarivo. The school provides programs
for 70 and 80 pupils, including children and adults.
Compagnie Rary tours regularly: France, Spain; Germany (Berlin,
Cologne, Düsseldorf), Portugal, Denmark (Copenhagen),
The Netherlands (Amsterdam), Austria (Vienna); Italy, France
(Lille) for school workshops and performance programs. The
company has also toured throughout West and East Africa.
Compagnie Rary has also gained critical acclaim. In 2001,
they won second place at Sanga II: African and Indian Ocean
Choreographic Competition, a pan-African dance festival held
in Madagascar. In 2002, the company received the Prix RFI
Danse, an award presented by Radio France Internationale to
promote African creativity, especially contemporary dance,
at the international level.
Ariry
Andriamoatsiresy
ARIRY ANDRIAMORATSIRESY (choreographer) is of Madagascan
origin. He began studying dance with Raúl Olivera
and a troupe of Cubans dancers, which the Madagascan government
brought in to instruct teenagers. He later studied dance
at L’École Normale Superieur in Madagascar.
There he became adept in a variety of movements, including
martial arts. After university, he ran studio classes and
then later formed his own company, Compagnie Rary with which
he now tours.
About
MPIRAHALAY MIANLA [SEVERAL MAKE ONE]
Ariry Andriamoratsiresy
(choreographer) was inspired to create “Mpirahalahy
Miania [Several Make One]” by a Malagasy proverb which
literally means “Two brothers go hunting,” a
variation on the American saying “Two heads are better
than one.” The proverb suggests that in order to be
successful, people must remain united.
In the show,
this idea of unity is put to dance as people go hunting
but stick together. Divided into four parts, the work is
staged around a wooden structure that represents a door,
a bed, a double-decker bus and, finally, a boat. The structure
represents today's world on an organizational and spiritual
level with its cubic, square and rectangular forms. The
difficulty lies in adopting the human being's roundness.
In each part of the show, the movements change, adapting
to the rectangular structure, and following the live music
played by Linda Volahasiniaina who sits on a corner of the
stage.
The movement of the dance combines traditional Malagasy
dance, which is imitative of animals and animal life, with
Indian and global dance.
Ariry Andriamoratsiresy
reflects: “A traditional dancer, I am not, never was,
and I will also never be, but my inspiration feeds itself
from the tradition. A goal of the company is to express
the personality of our island without suppressing the influences
and developments of the modern world. Madagascar’s
culture is syncretic as many different African and Asiatic
influences are connected here. And this vital exchange continues
today. In Several Make One, elements of a global pop culture,
T’ai Chi, and Indian dance traditions can be seen
in addition to African influences.”
Mpirahalahy
Mianla (Several Make One)
| choreographer
Ariry Andriamoratsiresy
dancers
Ariry Andriamoratsiresy
Harimalala Angela Rakotoarisoa
Lovatiana Erica Rakotobe
Rijamalala Harivony Rakotoarimanana
Zoë J. Randrianjanaka Dinampitia
Alain Michel Randriamiasa |
company
manager
Zoë J. Randrianjanaka Dinampitia
musicians
Linda Angelica Volahasiniaina |
