Issac Lartey

Issac Lartey is a capoerist, choreographer and videographer. 

Born in Ghana in 1973, he grew up in Paris. In 1992, he discovered capoéria and was introduced to Mestre Beîja-flôr in Paris and during study trips to Brazil. In 1994, he obtained a degree in visual arts philosophy of art at the University of Paris I Sorbonne. After a master’s degree in Aesthetics on the process of recognition of classical and contemporary African art in the West, his work as a visual artist develops around questions of cultural identity and transmission of memory, with the cultural area as its central subject. “Afro Atlantic” and its diasporas. Recognized since 2001 by the Historical Association Senzala de Santos de Mestre Sombra (Santo, SP, Brasil) and the Paulista Federation of Capoeira, he teaches capoeira in Paris within the associations Vadiaçao and Capoeira Paname and gives professional specialization courses ( capoeira and acrobatics) at ENSAC (National School of Circus Arts in Chalons) and at the Académie Fratellini. From 2001 to 2007, he participated as a capoeirista and acrobat in numerous choreographic projects, notably with the Montalvo-Hervieu company. In 2006, he created the company D’1autre Monde, whose purpose is to explore the body vocabulary of capoeira, its spiritual and poetic universe and to bring it to life on stage. Trained in the tools of digital video, he produced dance video projects: The Best Capoeira Ever, 2006. He then specialized in video for the stage and scenography: interactive video projections, videomapping. His piece Incorporation(s) created in 2008 aims to bring to life on stage what appears spontaneously in the traditional Roda and to show the involvement of the body as a place of incorporation of memories. Supported by the CCN de Créteil, the Académie Fratellini and the Musée du Quai Branly, it toured from 2008 to 2012.

Performer of Trille, choreography Riina Koivisto, Compagnie Kivitasku (2009) and Je ne suis pas d’ici/vengo de lontano, choreography Sveva scognamiglio (2016), he obtained in 2017 the D.E. Contemporary Dance. That same year, he participated in a European certification program for the teaching of capoeira with the federation of sport for all (FSPT). Since 2009, Issac Lartey has been collaborating with the Nigerian dancer and choreographer Qudus Onikeku for the scenography and projections of his pieces My exile is in my head (2010) Still/Life (2011) and Africaman (2015). He also participates in the Dancing Cities and The New Masquerade projects in collaboration with YK_projects and Faustin Linyekula /Studio Kabako in kisangani (DR Congo) in 2014. 

Source: https://capoeiraparisfrancesenzaladesantos.wordpress.com/ 

Le Journal “Dansons Maintenant!”, n°1, 31 January 2015, p. 9