Effet miroir

Effet miroir follows on from an initial collaboration between dancer Kevin Charlemagne Kaboré, who was creating his first choreography, Corps en mutation, and choreographer Idrissa Kafando, known as Vicky, who was asked to act as a coach to present this show at Africa Simply the Best, a solo choreography competition organised by Serge Aimé Coulibaly at the Centre Ankata in Bobo Dioulasso.

The collaboration proved fruitful, with the piece winning third place. The young dancer’s universe and personality then convinced Idrissa Kafando to create a new solo in which, thanks to this performer, he wanted to talk about himself, just as he is, as a counterpoint to the judgements that others have constantly made about him. For him, the art of influencing, which has gone viral, is a formidable weapon. By judging us, others think they are better, they reassure themselves. But they also provoke feelings of shame, guilt, fear of disappointment and doubt in others. So we need to look at ourselves, and narrow the gap between what we are and what we appear to be.

The character in the film Joker, by the American Todds Phillips (2019), was the first source of inspiration. The figure of the clown, with his terrifying pathological laughter and manic, almost rabid temperament, offers the contours of a disjointed, even torn individual who, confronted with his reflection in the mirror, chooses to renounce the judgement of others to reveal himself to himself. The set design borrows from the photo studios found in Africa, with their many mirrors and lenses, forcing us to look ourselves in the face; to start afresh with the child we once were, full of innocence and candour; to stop listening to the opinions of others and trust only our own image; and, finally, to conceive the true portrait of ourselves. Now aware of who he really is, and fully assuming his share of madness and disturbance, the character ends up summoning several spectators to the stage and entrusting them with incongruous tasks, which provoke hilarity from the audience and remind us how easy it is to judge a person when you haven’t made the effort to get to know them.

Created in December 2020 at the Centre de Développement Chorégraphique La Termitière in Ouagadougou, during the Festival Dialogues de Corps, Effet miroir tours regularly while continuing to evolve.

Recording of 11 December 2024, Walo dance centre, Biennale de danse et performance Croisement, Abomey-Calavi, Benin.

Source: Document of the company, Interview with Idrissa Kafando by Anne Décoret-Ahiha, 12 December 2024, Abomey-Calavi, Benin.