First Impressions
An Interview with Junaid Jemal Sendi Early in the Mentorship
What interested you most about participating in the Rolex Arts Initiative?
The opportunity to be close to and work with someone who has a lot of experience and from whom I can learn a lot.
Have you ever had a mentor before?
I’ve never had an individual mentor before, as there were 16 of us in the Adugna Community Dance Theatre Company, where I was trained. The founder of the group is British choreographer Royston Maldoom, who brought the idea to Ethiopia and made all of us dancers. He made a big difference to our lives. A well-known choreographer from Senegal, Germaine Acogny, also helped me a lot. She built up my confidence and showed me that I could achieve something. She is still a great encouragement to me, especially in showing me how to be a choreographer.
What do you hope to get out of the collaboration with your mentor?
The main thing I would like to achieve is to be able to choreograph a solo piece, either for myself or for another dancer. I would also like to learn how to do the lighting, the stage setting, everything that fits with choreography. In our first month together, I’ve already learned a lot. I’m sure that during the year I will learn even more. I hope to learn better how to make my choreography as clear as possible. In Ethiopia, there is only one dance company, and people often ask: “What is the dance about?” I want dance to make a difference to Ethiopia even a small difference, which may be big in its effect. I would like to share what I will have learnt with the other members of Adugna and create new choreographic works to inspire and educate everyone who sees my work. This will be the cherry on the top!
So far, what is the best part of being a Rolex protégé?
To be a protégé is really good for a young artist as someone with so much experience gives you opportunities that you would not otherwise have. When you are with one person you learn so much more than when you are one in a troupe of 16. More practically, I found particularly interesting to work with children who are sight-impaired, practise improvisation a lot and filming.
What was your interview with the mentor like during the selection process?
I immediately felt a connection with Saburo Teshigawara. He and I talked very precisely about dance, and we understood each other. He likes natural things and he wants me to be myself. I do what I can and I speak truthfully, and he likes that. Before I met him, I had read a lot about him on the Internet, and I thought that working with this man would be wonderful. I thought that if I was chosen as his Protégé, he would help me do everything. I knew he would be important for me. I will never forget the day I met him. Even when the other candidates were improvising with Teshigawara, ideas kept coming from him as he kept changing the music. When I got the telephone call and found out that I was to be the Protégé, I started to shout, and I couldn’t stop talking.
How do you think your work is similar to or different from your mentor’s?
We have similar ideas about what happens on the stage, including lighting and other aspects. He has done a lot of solo work, and that’s new for me, but that’s what I want to do. He has had a lot of experience, and I’m still at the start of my international career.
Do you think that Saburo Teshigawara’s guidance will change your approach to dance?
Yes, I do think so because Saburo is pushing me into the way I would like to be. He is also encouraging me very much by showing me that I have the capacity to do more to be where I want to be.