Si je t’M...

The contemporary hip-hop mix is no longer a matter for discussion nowadays, and scarcely gets any particular comment in event programmes. No one is surprised to see breakdancing at the Avignon Festival, the Lyon Dance Centre or in most national dance theatres. But what people are less aware of, is that none of this would have happened if the Black Blanc Beur dance company had never existed. Since their historic foundation in France in 1984, with their first show (a Homeric undertaking with 40 dancers!) in a car park in Saint Quentin-en-Yvelines, Black Blanc Beur directed by Christine Coudun and Jean Djemad, have always been at the cutting edge of innovation. They were the first to commission original music without the obligatory rap, the first to attempt multicultural mixes, the first to open up hip-hop to other influences and, especially, the first to call for an artistic venue for the new dance.
The dance company has had to persevere for years to establish recognition for its style, which clearly has nothing to do with either fashion or commercial concerns. Christine Coudun, who started off not with choreography but with groundwork on dance to get the necessary structures into place, is above all the very first dance’ author for hip-hop.
In her body movements, which are richly influenced by other styles, she prefers quality to virtuosity, and dramatic relevance to figurative demonstrations.