{"id":4872,"date":"2024-07-18T16:17:55","date_gmt":"2024-07-18T14:17:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.accrorap.com\/?page_id=4872"},"modified":"2026-04-14T17:34:18","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T15:34:18","slug":"labo-smala","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.accrorap.com\/en\/labo-smala\/","title":{"rendered":"SMALA"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Shaping the Mediterranean<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

For centuries, the Mediterranean has been a space of encounters, passages, and creation\u2014a 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.
\nThe word Smala<\/strong><\/em> 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.<\/p>\n

This spirit drives Smala<\/strong><\/em>. 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.
\nIn a world increasingly marked by isolationism and closed borders, mobility remains a privilege, not a guarantee. Smala <\/strong><\/em>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.<\/p>\n

For Kader Attou, whose career has been forged through travel and encounter, the challenge is clear: to transform Smala<\/strong><\/em> into a laboratory where dance, music, poetry, and storytelling intersect, a space where artists experiment, invent collective forms, and forge a shared language.[\/vc_column_text][vc_video link=”https:\/\/vimeo.com\/1167651206″ css=””][vc_column_text css=””]<\/p>\n

\u00a9 Damien Bourletsis<\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1736774977165{margin-top: 0px !important;}”][vc_single_image image=”5684″ img_size=”Full” css=””][vc_column_text css=””]In September 2026, these constellations will converge in Marseille for an exceptional week of experimentation, exchange, and public engagement.<\/p>\n

As a historic port city and a global crossroads, Marseille is the natural anchor for this Mediterranean adventure\u2014a city defined by migration, cultural fusion, and vibrant artistic energy. For a week, SMALA will unfold its explorations at La Friche Belle de Mai, a welcoming hub for creative spirits.<\/p>\n

The Program will include :
\n<\/strong>\u2022 Choreographic performances
\n\u2022 DJ sets and open dance spaces
\n\u2022 Roving artistic presentations
\n\u2022 Listening sessions blending traditional music with electronic creations
\n\u2022 Podcasts documentary workshops
\n\u2022 Open dialogues on the nature of creation, artistic structure, and the Mediterranean identity<\/p>\n

Smala<\/strong><\/em> is simultaneously a laboratory, a celebration, and an incubator, placing artists at the heart of the experience. Participants will bring their own world, influences and path; together, they seek the forms of tomorrow.
\nTo shape the Mediterranean today is also an act of resistance\u2014a stand against the silence and helplessness in the face of global upheaval. It is a commitment to words and actions that unite.
\nThis is what Smala <\/strong><\/em>in Marseille aspires to be : a beautiful and poetic gathering.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/6″ css=”.vc_custom_1773761599470{margin-top: -6px !important;background-color: #FFFFFF !important;}”][vc_separator color=”custom” border_width=”2″ css=”.vc_custom_1773760487509{margin-top: -16px !important;margin-bottom: 15px !important;}” accent_color=”#989696″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1773763473557{background-color: #FFFFFF !important;}”]<\/p>\n

Smala<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n
Nomadic Choreographic Laboratories in the Mediterranean<\/strong><\/h5>\n

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Casablanca, Tunis, Cairo, Kalamata & Cyprus<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

The Casablanca<\/strong> Smala<\/strong> <\/em>was developed in partnership with the Casam\u00e9moire 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.<\/p>\n

As part of the Massari \u2013 Consolidating One\u2019s Personal Trajectory<\/em> project, the first Tunis<\/strong> Smala<\/strong> <\/em>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\u2019s 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<\/em>.<\/p>\n

In Cairo<\/strong>, a scouting trip took place in November 2024, followed by a choreographic laboratory led by Ezzat Isma\u00efl, in partnership with Ezzat Dance Studio, scheduled from February 8 to 12, 2026.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n

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\u00a9 Damien Bourletsis<\/p>\n

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In Kalamata<\/strong> and Cyprus<\/strong>, a creative laboratory was held in Kalamata from October 21 to 30, 2025, with five Greek and Cypriot dancers, alongside cultural outreach activities. It then continued in Limassol from April 20 to 28, 2026, opening to new dancers through auditions.<\/p>\n

These different stages will lead to a final laboratory in Marseille as part of the Mediterranean Season 2026.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column css=”.vc_custom_1776180644335{background-color: #FFFFFF !important;}”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1776180686996{background-color: #F1F1F2 !important;}” el_class=”agenda-box”]Financial Partners:<\/strong>
\nVille de Marseille \/ Institut Fran\u00e7ais de Paris \/ Saison M\u00e9diterran\u00e9e \/ R\u00e9gion Sud \/ Instituts Fran\u00e7ais: Egypt \/ Greece \/ Cyprus \/ Tunisia \/ Institut Fran\u00e7ais de Tunisie \/ Institut Fran\u00e7ais de Paris (ICC Program) \/ Instituts Fran\u00e7ais of Greece and Cyprus \/ Institut Fran\u00e7ais of Egypt \/ Ville de Saint Ouen
\nCultural Partners:<\/strong>
\nCasam\u00e9moire \/ AMME \u2013 Moroccan Association for Electronic and Amazigh Music \/ Al Badil \u2013 Tunis \/ AMI \u2013 Marseille \/ NCDN \u2013 Cairo \/ Kalamata International Dance Festival \/ Maison de la Danse \u2013 Limassol[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_column_text css=””] Shaping the Mediterranean For centuries, the Mediterranean has been a space of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-4872","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.accrorap.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4872","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.accrorap.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.accrorap.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.accrorap.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.accrorap.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4872"}],"version-history":[{"count":55,"href":"https:\/\/www.accrorap.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4872\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5842,"href":"https:\/\/www.accrorap.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4872\/revisions\/5842"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.accrorap.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4872"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}