Tuesday 31 May 2016

Coup Fatal by Alain Platel

He took it to the next step

Baroque music fused with African rhythms, dancing, acting and fashion. These are just some of the experiences you’ll get from watching the show called Coup Fatal. When you are watching the performance you might at one point find yourself in confusion and asking yourself: “What exactly am I watching here?” “Is this a music concert, dance performance or classical recital?” The answer is that this performance cannot be placed into a sole category.  A whole new universe is created within the performance and the watcher only needs to sit back and enjoy what is seen, heard and felt.

Coup Fatal was created by the Belgian choreographer Alain Platel and is performed by 13 men from Congo. Their musical talent, dance moves and energy gives you goose bumps and makes your feet dance their own beat under your seat in the theatre. These guys are performers to the bone.



The choreographer Alain Platel clearly wants to show the audience a good time through the Congolese music, dance and culture, which he succeeds very well in.  You might think at the beginning that the piece is all about the pleasing beats of the drums, shaking and grinding of the hips (more than you would think ever possible!) or their strong facial expressions coupled with their theatrical gestures. As the piece evolves, you realize that a story unfolds. In the second half of the piece, the 13 men come out wearing outfits that are inspired by the Sapeurs (also known as La Sape). Sapeurs is a social community with a lot of different influences; however, it is traced back to the early colonialism of the Africans, when the French came to civilize them. They handed them European second hand clothes as a bargaining tool to gain the devotion of the nations leaders. Later, the community began to rebel against some of the vile aspects of their Congolese life.[1]

Bright green suits, layer upon layer, fancy sunglasses and mismatched colourful socks. One by one the 13 Congolese men walk through the stage curtains. This is an ironic image, since the curtains are made from discarded bullet casings that remain from Congo’s civil wars.
“Young, gifted and black” they sing  “Oh what a lovely precious dream” a song originally written by Nina Simone.
The piece has many layers and can be interpreted in several different ways. As Alain Platel points out in an interview[2]: “The goal is to allow for multiple interpretations, not to limit ourselves to a political discourse about Congo. I’m more interested in association of ideas, in poetry.”





This piece definitely provides food for thought and makes you think about African culture. The mixture of opera, African rhythms and dance is very interesting and Alain Platel definitely opens a large window of new possibilities in how to construct a performance. It is highly probable that you will walk out of the theatre with a bursting desire to move.The title is well chosen as the performance sure did hit me hard! 

Where: Musis Stadstheater, Arnhem
When: 1st of October 2015
Premiere of the piece: 10th of June 2015
Concept and idea Serge Kakudji and Paul Kersten
Artistic direction: Alain Platel
Composer: Rodriguez Vangama
Musicians:
Serge Kakudji (counter tenor) Rodriguez Vangama (electric guitar), Costa Pinto (acoustic guitar), Bouton Kalanda (likembe), Erick Ngoya (likembe), Silva Makengo (likembe), Tister Ikomo (xylophone), Deb’s Bukaka (balaphone), Cédrick Buya (percussion), Jean-Marie Matoko (percussion), 36 Seke (percussion), Russell Tshiebua (backing vocals), Bule Mpanya (backing vocals)
Set design: Freddy Tsimba (Congolese sculptor and installation artist)




[1] http://www.lejournalinternational.fr/La-Sape-an-elegance-that-brought-peace-in-the-midst-of-Congolese-chaos_a1871.html

[2]Interview made in connection to Festival D’Avignon file:///Users/Cecilie/Downloads/interview_02_coup_fatal_%20fa_2014.pdf