French-Algerian choreographer Hervé Koubi tells a powerful story of identity and tradition through jaw-dropping dance in What the Day Owes to the Night at the Quick Center on October 19.
[a] stunning fusion of acrobatics, gymnastics, b-boying, modern dance, and ballet
— — The Washington Post
The revelation of an unknown part of your heritage can be confusing, invigorating, and transformative. In What the Day Owes to the Night , Hervé Koubi processes the discovery of his Algerian roots through intensely acrobatic choreography in a dance performance coming to the Quick Center for the Arts on Thursday, October 19 at 8 p.m.
Since his first credited work, Le Golum , in 2000, Compagnie Hervé Koubi has astounded audiences globally. His most recent work, What the Day Owes to the Night, holds to his impossible standard. The Washington Post reviewed the piece as a "stunning fusion of acrobatics, gymnastics, b-boying, modern dance, and ballet," executed with such exquisite body control that it seemed as though the laws of physics had been suspended. Adding to the power and intensity of the piece is the all-male cast, comprised of individuals from diverse cultural and religious backgrounds, exuding a fraternal spirit that underlies a celebration of bodies in movement. The work is danced to an eclectic score including Johann Sebastian Bach, Hamza El Din & the Kronos Quartet, and traditional Sufi music.
Koubi was born in Cannes and holds a doctoral degree in pharmacy and pharmaceutical biology, a profession he pursued in tandem with his career in choreography. His company is personally credited with twelve acclaimed works since 2000, and countless collaborations. Since 2014 he has been a choreographer with the National Superior Dance School (Cannes Dance School and the National School of Dance of Marseille) and has worked as a choreographer with the Conservatoire de Danse in Brive-la-Gaillarde. In July 2015, he was bestowed the title of Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters, an award which honors and celebrates exceptional ambassadors of French culture around the world.
What the Day Owes to the Night will be at the Quick Center for the Arts at ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ÊÓƵÎÞÏÞÖƹۿ´ on Thursday, October 19 at 8:00 p.m. In addition to the performance, the company will be in residence to lead educational programs including workshops with local Bridgeport schools and a panel discussion on the ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ÊÓƵÎÞÏÞÖƹۿ´ campus focused on migration and the ways in which we keep our cultural histories alive when forced from our homes. Please visit the Quick’s website for further information about these free educational programs. The performance and educational activities are supported, in part, by the Hi-Ho and Fairfield Circle Inn, and the New England Foundation for the Arts.
Tickets are $45, $40, Quick Center Members: $30. For tickets, visit or call the box office at 203-254-4010 or toll free at 1-877-ARTS-396.
Photo credit: Karim Amar
