An Interview with Anani Dodji Sanouvi Early in the Mentorship
How was your first meeting with Anne Teresa?
The first day was difficult. Anne Teresa asked me to do lots of things… She thought my way of dancing was “special”. So, our first meeting was… interesting! I wasn’t expecting us to hit it off from the start.
She suggested a dance sequence by someone here and gave me carte blanche to interpret it as I liked. She had chosen a score by American composer Steve Reich and took me to a studio to listen to it. Some of Steve Reich’s pieces are strongly influenced by the traditional rhythms and percussions of the Eve, an ethnic group from West Africa who live in Benin, Ghana and Togo… my people! Incredible, isn’t it?
How did you manage?
I started out by watching a lot, observing the dancers in the company, and asking them questions. I was trying to find a way to work with the musicians. Little by little, things fell into place naturally. Anne Teresa found just the right words to tell me: seek your way, find your own words, exercises and rules for the dancers and musicians.
And now?
Now everything’s fine. I still need more time to get to know her better. She has a real personality; she’s very demanding when it comes to work. I learned how to see her differently by watching her dance alone in London. She choreographs her pieces on the structure of the music, the rhythm, not on the sound of the rhythm. She controls the space perfectly; you could even say she trades in it. I was moved by this discovery. I even said to myself, “I really haven’t made the wrong choice, even if it was she who chose me! But from then on, I have always seen her as a dancer and a choreographer rolled into one”.
What is a typical day like for you in Brussels?
I go to Rosas from 9 to 11am for the class with American choreographer Chrysa Parkinson. Then I rehearse pieces like Rain and Drumming to music by Steve Reich. In the afternoon, I go to Parts where I take part in an improvisation techniques workshop developed by William Forsythe. If I retain one thing from each session, that keeps me happy.
What is the greatest challenge you have set for yourself for this mentoring year?
To achieve the famous dialogue between dancer and musician. With the help of Anne Teresa, I’ll master working with space. I’d really like to continue exploring the risks musicians can take with me in improvising. Experiment without any prior arranging. The African musicians I’ve worked with say the rhythms exist inside us and sometimes refuse to play them differently. I must find those terms, codes and rules that Anne told me about.
What really makes that special bond between you and Anne Teresa?
Inner silence. I think that’s what we have in common. I understood her when I saw her moving on stage. This kind of silence is a very strong, very soft energy that you have inside you and that you dance and play to the music. I saw it in her. I’m in the right place at the right time, and that’s priceless.