Hawaii Tribune-Herald YOUNG YAMANAKA to the Tribune-Herald rench-Algerian choreographer Hervé Koubi one of Europe’s most distinctive choreographers, known for productions incorporate incredible powerful imagery imaginative choreography. ensemble of all-male and African dancers combine acrobatics, gymnastics, urban dance, contemporary dance and ballet in his latest choreographic work, “What the Day Owes to the Night,” inspired by Koubi’s own personal journey and discovery of his Algerian heritage. Compagnie Hervé Koubi makes its Hawaii debut in three Big Island performances set for 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the University of Hawaii at Hilo Performing Arts Center, and 7 p.m. April 1 and 4 p.m. April 2 at Kahilu Theatre in Waimea. “I knew my parents were born in Algeria, but I thought that I had French roots,” says the 40-year-old Koubi. “Hervé is such a French name. One day, I asked my father, ‘Where do my ancestors come from? Which part of France?’ That day, my father showed me a picture — that of an old man, all dressed in Arabic style. My father told me, ‘Here is your great-grandfather, he spoke only one language, he spoke only Arabic and it’s the same thing for all your great-grandparents.’ “That was a shock for me. I was not from France, but from Algeria. The project ‘What the Day Owes to the Night’ started that day.” Koubi met 250 dancers — 249 male dancers and one female — when he went to Algeria to cast this piece. “There are no dance schools in Algeria, so most of the dancers learned how to dance by themselves, thanks to the internet,” Koubi explains. “They train outside on the beaches, in courtyards or in the streets.” Before “What the Day Owes to the Night,” Koubi was used to working with See JOURNEY Page 9 “I want the audience to be moved by what they see and also invite them to share my vision of a global culture ...” HERVÉ KOUBI Photo by SYLVAIN MARCHOU CHAINE
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