Kettly Noël
Kettly Noël is Haitian. She discovered dance as a young student in Port-au-Prince, and chose to make it her career, finishing her accountancy studies at the same time. She performed in “Nanlakou” (1995), then choreographed a film clip for Angélique Kidjo, “Agolo”. In 1996 she moved to Benin, where she discovered the foundations on which her approach is based: “From the time I arrived in Cotonou, I tried to understand what I was doing. In order to understand, I taught by sharing and I learned by teaching.” It was with this new vision that she began work training local young people in contemporary dance and organised them into a company. Today, they are all members of the Benin National Ballet. In 1999 she left and settled in Mali where she matured her approach by stages: in 2000 she set up the Donko Seko centre, then two companies: Jeune Compagnie and Les Enfants de la Rue. She also ran a dance and choreographic research studio, which had the first proper dance floor in Bamako, in 2001. In 2002 she set up the first modern dance festival in Bamako, “Dense Bamako Danse”. Exchange and sharing are always the guiding principles in her work. An exchange where generosity rivals respect for others. Ever since, her work has been based on the meaning of movement, its roots, and the common spring which waters them. Alongside her training and teaching work, Kettly Noël has composed a number of pieces: “Cousin, Cousine”, “Tichelbe” (2002), “Gaou”, “Autre” and “Errance” (2004), the solo which brought her international acclaim. More recently, she created the duet “Correspondances” with the South-African dancer Nelisiwe Xaba in 2007, the ensemble piece “Chez Rosette” in 2008, “Zone humide imaginaire” in 2009 and “Je m’appelle Fanta Kaba” in 2010.
Source: Théâtre ONLINE
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