Oulouy

Black

#BlackLivesMatter

Black is a choreographic confrontation with the violence and struggle that characterise black lives in today’s society. Through references to Black Lives Matter and the murder of George Floyd, Oulouy questions where the black body fits in in the Western world.

His work examines how the black body is viewed, defined and challenged – how it is rife with stereotypes, desires and fear. A body that bears both history and the present, that is both oppressed and celebrated, and that provokes reactions simply by existing.

The narrative is conveyed without words, but using the distinct language of dance. Employing street-dance styles from the African continent and the African diaspora in the USA – such as Coupé-décalé, Ndomboló, Afrohouse and krump – this creates a visual manifesto, incorporating trauma, pride and political will.

Black is as much a protest as it is a celebration – a homage to movement, to survival and to the power of refusing to conform.

Oulouy

Choreographer & Dancer

Oulouy is a choreographer and dancer, born in Ivory Coast and now based in Spain. His work navigates the borderland between activism and performing arts, focusing on the black body in a political context.

Black washis first work, created in 2020 and with which he has toured internationally to venues such as the Perelman Performing Arts Centre in New York, fabrik Potsdam in Germany and Dansens Hus in Oslo.

In addition to being a choreographer and dancer, Oulouy is also the founder of Barcelona-based Oyofe – a festival of African street dance.