Deen Eniola

Born in Okéita, not far from the Nigerian border, Nourou Deen Eniola began dancing as a self-taught artist before joining, in 2007, the Ensemble Artistique et Culturel des Etudiants d’Abomey Calavi, a melting pot of Beninese theatre and contemporary dance. He participated in three editions of the Scientific and Cultural Festival of West African Universities (FESCUAO). Steeped in hip hop and traditional dances, he continues to train with Beninese Marcel Gbeffa, Richard Adossou, Rachelle Agbossou and Vincent Harisdo as well as with Andréya Ouamba, Lila Greene, Chantal Loïal and Delphine Bachacou. 

Joining Marcel Gbeffa’s Multicorps company, he took part in  Root’in (2015) and Les Cris du couvent, performed in 2017 at the cultural competition of the VIII° Jeux de la francophonie, in Abidjan.

At the same time, he founded the group Pro7 with Ezequiel Adandé, with whom he created  Entre deux M.E.C (2019). Together, they opened the Urban Dance Center (UDC) in the Haïe Vive district of Cotonou where Nourou Deen Eniola teaches urban and Afro dance. 

In 2020, he performed in Gbe Miton (“our voices” in Fon language), by the Beninese choreographer Carmelita Siwa (Compagnie Arts ca’danser – Bronze medal in the cultural section of the Jeux de la Francophonie – Kinshasa 2023)). The following year, he launched into the creation of a solo: Iran’ti. In April 2022, he took part in the re-creation at the French Institute in Cotonou of Un cercle égal un demi cercle by Chantal Loïal.

Created in 2023, his piece Tsunami 2.0 (Institut Français co-production) for 4 performers tours Benin and Togo. Winner of the 2023 Institut Français & Cité internationale des arts residency program, he will be taking up n 2024 a creative residency for a new project combining dance and slam.