SMALA

Shaping the Mediterranean

For centuries, the Mediterranean has been a space of encounters, passages, and creation—a sea defined by stories and bodies in motion. It is within this living heritage that SMALA, the itinerant center for choreographic creation conceived by choreographer Kader Attou, takes root.
The word Smala is deeply historical. It evokes the mobile capital of Emir Abdelkader, a close-knit community where knowledge, arts, and strategies of resistance were inextricably linked.

This spirit drives Smala. For four years, constellations of artists have been woven together across the Mediterranean: from France, Greece, and Cyprus to Egypt, Tunisia, and Morocco. These territories, while shaped by different histories, are bound by the same sea, shared imaginaries, and gestures and rhythms that resonate across shores.
In a world increasingly marked by isolationism and closed borders, mobility remains a privilege, not a guarantee. Smala was born from this reality, aiming to open pathways, build bridges where distances have taken root, and facilitate the free circulation of artists, ideas, sounds, and movements. Beyond borders, deep resonances persist: a traditional melody echoing in electronic music, a dance step mirrored on the opposite shore, or a voice speaking of exile, celebration, memory, and resistance.

For Kader Attou, whose career has been forged through travel and encounter, the challenge is clear: to transform Smala into a laboratory where dance, music, poetry, and storytelling intersect, a space where artists experiment, invent collective forms, and forge a shared language.

© Damien Bourletsis

Casablanca, Tunis, Cairo, Kalamata & Cyprus

The Casablanca Smala was developed in partnership with the Casamémoire association and, in December 2024, brought together local dancers and Accrorap artists to explore the relationship between dance and heritage, resulting in a video capsule filmed at the Assayag building. A second laboratory is scheduled for December 2025 with the Amme association, focusing on the intersection of dance with Amazigh and electronic music, with the aim of identifying musicians to be invited to Marseille in 2026.

As part of the Massari – Consolidating One’s Personal Trajectory project, the first Tunis Smala took place in January 2025 with Kader Attou and two Accrorap dancers, gathering around fifteen Tunisian artists. A workshop on production and project management led by Anne-Sophie Dupoux complemented the program. This Smala led to the discovery of Hazem Chebbi’s work and initiated a lasting partnership with Selim Ben Safia, further developed through a creative residency at La Friche La Belle de Mai and the hosting of Selim Ben Safia at the Accrorap studio to begin the creation of Labes.

In Cairo, a scouting trip took place in November 2024, followed by a choreographic laboratory led by Ezzat Ismaïl, in partnership with Ezzat Dance Studio, scheduled from February 8 to 12, 2026.

© Damien Bourletsis