Festival HYPE OCC continues throughout the year with highlights.
Did you enjoy our festival HYPE OCC last November?
You’re going to love HYPE OCC CONNEXION – or how to stay connected to the hiphop culture and African rooted dances throughout the year!
Next stop:
February 1st, 2nd and 4th at Halle Tropisme Montpellier, as part of the 5th anniversary of Tropisme.
Thursday February 1st
Dance performance
Moses Olayinka Akintunde (Lagos, Nigéria – bio below) – dancer and percussionist – presents a work in progress of his first solo performance : When…?
Touched by news of police violence, state denial, or attacks against civil movements, Moses Olayinka Akintunde conducts research on the concepts of oppression and domination.
The presentation is followed by a Q&A.
At the A pas de Loup choreography competition, Moses Olayinka Akintunde won the first prize with this work in progress.
Thursday, February 1st
7PM
Halle Tropisme – Menuiserie (access via the parking lot) | Free admission by reservation and on-site, subject to availability.
To support Moses in his work and during his dance studies in France, we are calling for a free and solidarity donation. We can provide you with a tax receipt, and you will benefit from a tax deduction of 66% of the donation amount, up to 20% of your taxable income, if you pay your taxes in France. For example, for a donation of €10, you can deduct €6.66 from your taxes.
Saturday, February 3rd
Dance workshop
Danielo Belcher, a dancer trained in Haiti, then at Epsedanse Montpellier and now at the Cité des Arts – Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional de Montpellier 3M, offers a dance workshop in Haitian folk dances: Congo and Yanvalou. Drawing on traditional music that initially accompanies these ritualistic dances, he teaches their techniques and concepts before delving into a choreographic approach, incorporating themes explored by the students.
Saturday, February 3rd
2:30PM-4PM
Halle Tropisme – Menuiserie (access via the parking lot) | No prerequisites, the workshop is open to participants aged 12 and above | Participation fee: €20 / Reduced rate: €15. Pass for all 3 workshops during the weekend: €50 full price / €40 reduced rate.
Dance workshop
In this workshop, choreographer Sandrine Lescourant aka Mufasa (bio below) focuses on the expressiveness of movement, its depth, and how to make it embody our realities.
Starting from the fundamentals of freestyle in hiphop, she guides the participants towards embracing the movement, aiming to reveal each individual’s uniqueness.
Saturday February 3rd
4:30PM-6PM
Halle Tropisme – Menuiserie (access via the parking lot) | No age or skill level required. Just be comfortable in your body and at ease with movement! | Participation fee: €20 / Reduced rate: €15. Pass for all 3 workshops during the weekend: €50 full price / €40 reduced rate.
Sunday February 4th
Dance workshop
Afro-urban dance has conquered the world; it is ubiquitous and constantly reinventing itself, blending the richness of traditional dances from the African continent with urban swagger.
Siaka Coulibaly (bio below) guides us through these dances as diverse as the inventiveness of the African continent, all sharing a focus on creativity, innovation, and ambiance. Siaka introduces participants to the rhythms of Afrobeat and Coupé-Decalé.
Sunday, February 4th
11;30AM-1PM
Halle Tropisme – Menuiserie (access via the parking lot) | No prerequisites, just come with good vibz and ready for an energetic class! Come in a light tank top, leggings or joggers, and sneakers (no street shoes, to protect the dance floor) | Participation fee: €20 / Reduced rate: €15. Pass for all 3 workshops during the weekend: €50 full price / €40 reduced rate.
Public presentation
BƐ̌N BƐ̌N BƐ̌N
An intergenerational and intercultural exploration led by Sandrine Lescourant aka Mufasa
In the Bambara language, “bɛ̌n bɛ̌n bɛ̌n” describes harmony or agreement.
A group of 8 people – representing 3 generations, 5 countries, 2 continents, speaking a total of 10 languages – came together around choreographer Sandrine Lescourant aka Mufasa (bio below) for an exploration of what it means to relate to others, the notion of accompaniment and trust. Over three weekends, Mufasa explored multiple concepts using her choreographic tools and exercises from the tradition of the Theater of the Oppressed to make the individual exist in a group dynamic, to bring out the intimate and what we have in common.
On February 4th, the group, composed of amateurs, young dance talents, and a professional dancer, aged 14 to 58, will present a restitution of the process in the form of an open workshop leaving room for improvisation and spontaneous expression.
The presentation will be followed by a showcase of young rap and toast talents led by Montpellier beatmaker Kera Beatz.
This project is part of the activities of the program #JeSuis, which works for cultural and human mediation for people from all walks of life, with regular workshops at the Halle Tropisme and at Epsedanse.
Through cultural experience and artistic practice, the program aims to transmit tools of expression and emancipation to young displaced people. Through cultural experience and artistic practice, the program aims to transmit tools of expression and emancipation to displaced youth: unaccompanied minors, refugees, and young adults accompanied by the Child Welfare Services (ASE).
Sunday, February 4th
2PM-3:15PM
Halle Tropisme – Menuiserie (access via the parking lot) | Free admission by reservation and on-site, subject to availability.
To support the socio-cultural program #JeSuis, we are issuing a call for a voluntary and supportive donation. We can provide you with a tax receipt, and you will benefit from a tax reduction of 66% of the donation amount, within the limit of 20% of your taxable income. For example, for a donation of 10€, you can deduct 6.66€ from your taxes.
Showcase rap & dancehall
They are young, talented, and committed… they arrived in our region through life’s twists and turns – and they have so much to share! With their talents for writing, rap, and dancehall (in the Soussou language!), they take us on a journey with their unstoppable flow.
This project is part of the activities of the #JeSuis program, committed to cultural and human mediation for people from all walks of life. Artistic practice, cultural outings – the activities are diverse and aim to support the development, integration, and emancipation of displaced children and teenagers, as well as to create encounters with the local population.
With the Montpellier-based beatmaker Kera Beatz, several workshops have been conducted by the #JeSuis program at the Estanc shelter, managed by the Groupe SOS, resulting in an unexpected dynamic that we aim to continue henceforth.
In partnership with Mayssa’s Caravan, providing all the conditions of a recording studio, several tracks have been recorded, a result of two workshops held at the shelter, which you can listen to here or here.
To go further, we gathered a group of displace teenagers who stand out for their writing and vocal talent around Kera Beatz. Several workshops were conducted, a recording at Mayssa’s Caravan was completed; dancer Danielo Belcher accompanied the group for staging and group concepts.
On February 4th, we present their first showcase as part of the presentation of the BƐ̌N BƐ̌N BƐ̌N workshop presentation.
Sunday, February 4th
2PM-3:15PM
Halle Tropisme – Menuiserie (access via the parking lot) | Free admission by reservation and on-site, subject to availability.
To support the socio-cultural program #JeSuis, we are issuing a call for a voluntary and supportive donation. We can provide you with a tax receipt, and you will benefit from a tax reduction of 66% of the donation amount, within the limit of 20% of your taxable income. For example, for a donation of 10€, you can deduct 6.66€ from your taxes.
Artists’ biographies
Moses Olayinka Akintunde was born in the Bariga region of Lagos, Nigeria. His talents were recognized as early as the age of 4 – already demonstrating exceptional dance skills. The diversity of his talents encompasses dance, football, percussion, theater play, modeling, and acrobatics.
His professional career began at the age of 8 with the Footprints of David Arts Academy – a children’s theater arts company aimed at identifying artistic talents in children, providing them with training in artistic practice, and offering appropriate education for emerging young talents. At the age of 11, he was among the few children in the company to tour Europe and Israel for six years as part of the collaborative theatrical project SORRY, supported by the Goethe-Institut.
Moses has also worked with prominent figures in the arts world such as Qudus Onikeku, Professor Wole Soyinka (the first African Nobel laureate), to name a few.
Based in Montpellier since September 2023, he is undergoing training at Epsedanse Montpellier and is part of the NID company, under the direction of Anne-Marie Porras. Moses is an associated artist at camin’cubateur.
Kera Beatz, a beatmaker based in Montpellier, has been evolving as a composer in the rap scene for over 10 years. He has numerous collaborations in France and internationally with established artists such as Freeze Corleone, Cheu-B, Haristone, Gucci Mane, Famous Dex, Soulja Boy, and more.
Four years ago, he founded his label, Magicians Records, where he leverages his experience to support artists in all aspects of their career development. For the #JeSuis program, he offers guidance in beatmaking, writing, and a professional approach, extending to studio recording.
This collaboration between Kera Beatz and camin aktion aligns with the collaborative dynamics of the HipHop Occitanie Network.
Trained in traditional Nubian vault masonry, Siaka Coulibaly, born and raised in a rural environment, started dancing as a liberating movement in his life.
In his journey as a dancer, he initially joined the professional education of Salia Sanou and Saïdou Boro at La Termitère Ouagadougou. He underwent intensive training in Burkina Faso, at the École des Sables in Senegal, in Togo, and in Benin with Germaine Acogny, Alesandra Seutin, Elsa Wolliaston, Irène Tassambédo, and Ladji Koné.
In Burkina Faso, he joined several dance companies, became involved in artistic and cultural education, and created the Urbain-Impro Dance Project.
Since 2022, he has been undergoing professional training as a dancer-performer with Anne-Marie Porras at Epsedanse. He continues to develop his choreographic material, such as the solo Soubwéré, and engages in active pedagogy for the general public and displaced youth through the program #JeSuis, where he leads dance workshops. Siaka Coulibaly is an associated artist at camin’cubateur.
Sandrine Lescourant aka Mufasa, honed her skills in the world of hip-hop dance battles alongside pioneers of the culture.
Her journey is enriched by training in highly codified principles: classical dance, contemporary dance, traditional African dance. Nevertheless, Sandrine remains a self-taught artist at heart, developing a style rooted in hip-hop values, a dance of resistance on the underground scene while collaborating on stage with several contemporary choreographers.
Today, Sandrine is the creator and choreographer of Compagnie Kilaï.. Her approach involves an in-depth exploration of movement, delving into social connections and their representation through the body.
Drawing from her experience and taking a broader look at contemporary society, she sees dance as a barrier against violence. Her projects, grounded in reality, are driven by the need to shift or question the spectator’s perspective on the sensitive being that they are.
Her art reinvents itself, plays with conventions, and draws inspiration from the intimate. With high-intensity physical commitment and a unique imagination focused on meaning and sensitivity, the company’s work aims to be a movement towards greater tolerance.
Danielo Belcher was born and raised in Haiti, where he immersed himself in dance at the age of seven. For 11 years, he studied classical, contemporary, jazz, Haitian folk, and urban dances. Concurrently, he trained in salsa and acrobatics. From 2020 to 2022, he studied at Epsedanse Montpellier under the direction of Anne-Marie Porras, pursuing studies for dancer-performers with a technical focus on contemporary, jazz, and classical dances.
He was selected for an arte project for young talents – I dance my Story – conducted at Kampnagel Hamburg and was part of a documentary film produced in that context.
In September 2022, he joined the Cité des Arts – Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional de Montpellier (specializing in contemporary dance).
In his personal work, he infuses academic dances with elements of traditional dances to develop his own vocabulary.
For the program #JeSuis, he creates educational content for artistic and playful workshops, transmitting Haitian culture to young people with diverse backgrounds.
For the beatmaking, rap, and dancehall workshops, we were able to carry out several studio recordings at Mayssa’s Caravan.
Created by Mayssa Issa, an independent journalist specializing in music within the France Media Monde group and a resident at Halle Tropisme, this nomadic studio dedicated to culture serves as a tool for recording podcasts, live sessions with artists, and media education workshops for children.
Mayssa’s Caravan and camin aktion are developing collaborations within the ecosystem of the Halle Tropisme.
The BƐ̌N BƐ̌N BƐ̌N restitution and the rap/dancehall showcase were carried out as part of the #JeSuis program in 2023, with the support of the Hérault Department through the Poverty Reduction Program, the City of Montpellier, and the sponsorship of Crédit Agricole Languedoc
From January 31st to February 4th, Halle Tropisme celebrates its 5th anniversary with numerous events! Discover the full program here.
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