The French-Algerian choreographer Hervé Koubi brings his signature work to the Bandshell with COMPAGNIE HERVÉ KOUBI: the muscular and astonishingly kinetic evening-length What The Day Owes To The Night. The piece, bristling with energy and powerful images that evoke Orientalist paintings and Islamic architecture, features 12 French-Algerian and African dancers and combines capoeira, martial arts, hip hop, and contemporary styles. “The juxtaposition of contrasting speeds and shapes is mesmerizing. And the virtuosity … is a touch of theatrical magic.” (The New York Times)
Hervé Koubi started his studies in dance in Cannes, where he was born, with Michele and Anne-Marie Sanguin and Nathalie Crimi (co-founders of Espace 614 at Mouans-Sartoux). He pursued his development at the Centre International de Danse Rosella Hightower in Cannes, then with the Opéra de Marseille. Koubi grew up unaware of his Algerian heritage; learning about it at age 25 from his father on his deathbed sent him on a personal and artistic journey. Made up of dancers primarily from North Africa with street dance backgrounds, Compagnie Hervé Koubi is the result of that journey.