(MOROCCO)
An insight into the life of four older Moroccan aitas
Ottof – diligent ants – is how Moroccan choreographer Bouchra Ouizguen describes the group of older women she has been working with for years. They are not regular dancers, but aitas, who according to a long-standing tradition, entertain the (male) audience at parties and weddings with their powerful vocals and physical confidence. The aitas are admired, yet shut out in everyday life, because of this confident attitude. Together with this close group, Ouizguen explores the position of the aita and, more generally, the position of women in Moroccan society in Ottof. The players’ strong personalities are central in the performances, in which traditional singing and dancing blend with fragments of everyday life.
choreography Bouchra Ouizguen vocals & dance Bouchra Ouizguen, Kabboura Aït Ben Hmad, Fatéma El Hanna, Halima Sahmoud & Fatna Ibn El Khatyb light design Eric Wurtz costume design & scenography Bouchra Ouizguen residency Agora, cité internationale de la danse (with support from Fondation BNP Paribas) production Bouchra Ouizguen / Compagnie O coproduction Festival Montpellier Danse 2015, Festival d’Automne à Paris, Centre Pompidou
Photo © Hasnae El Ouarga
