Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels has partnered with The Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi for the presentation of Sol Invictus, the latest dance show from the brilliant choreographer Hervé Koubi.
For the 2024 iteration of Dance Reflections, a diverse cast of 17 highly skilled male and female dancers has come together in an incredible and imaginative blend of both contemporary and kinetic urban dance styles. The result is a luminous ballet that synergistically combines hip-hop physicality and classic elevation with aerial spectacle and where the performers operate as a tight-knit collective, emphasising their shared responsibility towards each other as well as personal accountability. Through beauty and grace, choreographer Hervé Koubi declares his love for the sublime art of dance, from its past to its present, and into its future.
Born in Cannes, France, to Algerian parents, as a young man Koubi studied both dance and biology at the University of Aix-en-Provence, graduating as a pharmaceutical doctor. However, he chose to focus on a career in dancing and, following his graduation from the Rosella Hightower School of Dance in Cannes, he gained further experience as a professional dancer. He then went on to create his first project, entitled Le Golem, where Koubi created an acrobatic folk dance around the Golem, seamlessly blending contemporary movements with traditional music.
Since 2010, Koubi has worked with a small, all-male group of street dancers from North Africa on several works, including last year’s captivating hit show What the Day Owes to The Night, presented by the NYU Abu Dhabi Arts Center in two sold-out productions. More recently, he has also taken on the role of Associate Choreographer at France’s prestigious Pôle National Supérieur de Danse school. His company is based mainly in Calais, in the north of France, while also maintaining strong relationships with both Cannes and the region of Nouvelle Aquitaine.
“We are thrilled to welcome Compagnie Hervé Koubi back with their spectacular new show, Sol Invictus,” Bill Bragin, Executive Artistic Director for NYU Abu Dhabi Arts Center, tells Canvas. “Their last performance received a tremendous response from audiences. People loved the combination of dazzling physical performances, gorgeous design and thoughtful philosophical conception. It was evident that audiences were clamouring for more, so they were the perfect company to open our 10th anniversary season, as we look back and forward at the same time. The fact that Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels has supported the creation of this new piece made the choice even more ideal.”
With Sol Invictus, Koubi explores the notion that love is the guarantor of peace in a world which – despite the anguishes of seemingly endless conflict – hides an even more powerful force for good; the unifying, healing nature of communion. “Sol Invictus – ‘The Unconquered Sun’ – not only refers to the Roman god of the sun, but also to a ritual during the annual Roman midwinter festival, which celebrated the passing of the darkest days and anticipated the better, sunnier days ahead,” Koubi explains. “That celebration and sense of hope are precisely what Sol Invictus is all about. I want to talk about light, solidarity and the bonds that unite us. Here, the sun and the dance will emerge victorious.”
The extraordinary movements of the Compagnie Hervé Koubi dancers are what bring Koubi’s poetic vision to life as they appear to fly and spin through the air, often inverted or turned upside down. Even while grounded, they whirl on their hands or their heads, legs spiralling before bounding once again into the air as if launched by trampolines. Whether in ballistic arcs or tossing each other across the performance space, they create a thrilling display and vibrant celebration of the unifying power of dance in turbulent times.
Sol Invictus runs from 5-6 September 2024
