Afrovibes: Wesley Ruzibiza -The East African Bolero

The East African Bolero

Who doesn't know the rousing music of Ravel's Bolero? The Rwandan choreographer Ruzibiza abandoned the original concept of Bolero and transformed it into a mythical African creation story about the world and the first people. His East African Bolero opens with the thin sounds of Ravel's Bolero, the voice of a narrator of the creation story and electronic music by Chandresh Kudwa. His Bolero ends with Ravel's original score in an apotheosis of dance, music, colour and multiform movement.

The beginning and end of this East African Bolero is the circle of dancers in a group that refers to the element of togetherness in African myths. Ruzibiza's East African Bolero combines African spirituality's power with modern dance's abstraction. Previously shown at Théâtre de la Faïencerie Creil 2022, Théâtre Paris-Villette Paris 2022