KINETIC ARCHIVES
Rhythm, Songs, and Legends from BENIN with Eric Acakpo (FR/EN)
In Benin tradition, dance, music and voice are inextricably linked and in continuous dialogue. Mirroring each other they come together in a single language that is in continuous metamorphosis.
During this workshop we will discover the sophisticated polyrhythm of some traditional rhythms of Fon and Yoruba origin, (Agbadjià – Gogbahoun, Sakpata – Kosso ), their origin and the fundamental architecture on which they are built. We will analyze the relationship between the main rhythms and we will start to recognize the voice of the soloist drum.
We will learn and sing together some songs and we will listen to some traditional stories from the FA
* “The Fa”, a cultural archive of Indo-European, middle eastern, and African influences, is a compendium of fables, legends, metaphors and symbolic references, as well as a divination or scrying method. A critical key to understanding the mores and world views of many modern African cultures, “The Fa” links story, song and sophisticated moral instruction to a mathematical structure that stimulates memory and provokes reflection and self discovery. With a life-long, passionate dedication to the study and practice of this system, Eric Acakpo is a humorous, methodical, patient and competent master of “The Fa”.
Dates and Times
Sat 30 + Sun 31 August 2025 from 14h to 17h
Place
VEDANZA STUDIOS, 18 rue Louvigny (1st floor), L-1946, Luxembourg city-centre.
Registration
Full price: 110€ / Early bird: 95€ (if you register before 15th Aug)
Reductions*: 70 € / Kulturpass**: 30€
(*) Tarif réduit pour artistes professionnels, demandeurs d’emploi et étudiants sur présentation d’un justificatif. (**) Tarif réduit pour détenteurs du Kulturpass.
Please send us an email at info@vedanza.org mentioning your name and “ERIC ACAKPO WORKSHOP”
Thank you for making a payment into this NEW VEDANZA ACCOUNT !!
Nom: VEDANZA Asbl
IBAN: LU04 1111 7713 7935 0000
Swift/Bic: CCPLLULL
Contact
Born in Benin, his family plays an important role in the Vodun community, he is a priest of several cults (Fa, Thron, Sakpata), he is Balley Inan (responsible for the appearance of masks) in the cult of the Egoun Goun (cult of the dead in the Youruba culture).
A dancer and musician, he was introduced to traditional rhythms and dances since childhood, and continued his training in several folk groups. From 2000 to 2006 he was a dancer and musician in the Vodoo Brass Band group with which he participated in several Festivals in Europe. In 2002 he studied with choreographer Anouska Brodaks and in 2003 he was selected as a dancer for the production of the show Les feuilles qui résistent au vent by choreographer Koffi Koko assisted by choreographer Lucia Citterio.
The show was performed in Germany, Brazil, Italy and in Colombia at the Festival Iberoamericano de Teatro de Bogota where he received the award for best show. From 2002 to 2008 he accompanied Koffi Koko’s workshops in Europe as a musician. In 2006 he was selected as a musician to represent Benin in the creation of the show Africa, but not only… organized by Melody for Dialogue among Civilizations Associations.
In 2006 he founded with choreographer Francesca Pedullà the Sonagnon cultural association whose aim is to enhance the culture of Benin and create opportunities for exchange and research for artists of different nationalities. The Sonagnon Association supported by the French Institute of Cotonou creates and produces training workshops, creative residences and shows for artists from Benin and other nationalities.
From 2008 to 2012 he was artistic director together with Francesca Pedullà of the international cultural and artistic exchange project Dialogues Inèvitables, created by the Italian association CQB in collaboration with various international partners. Since 2011 he has been artistic director together with Francesca Pedullà of the project TRACES – training course in dance and creation – Cotonou, Ouidah created by Axis Syllabus Research Community in collaboration with the Multicorps Choreographic Centre (Benin) and the Sonagnon association. In 2013 he created the original music for the film Je ne sais plus qui a fait quoi by Antoine Renouard, winner of several awards. Since 2014 together with Francesca Pedullà, he facilitate the Ancient Kinetic Wisdom workshop and teach music in several Brazilian cities (Nomadic College Gamboa, Centro Coreogràfico Rio de Janeiro, Université Federal de Salvador de Bahia, Centre Culturel Peterzold de Porto Alegre), and in Europe ( ImpulsTanz -Wien, Scie Festival – Bologna, Nomadic College EU ( Patras Luc en Diois), Teatro La Luna nel Pozzo (Italy) .
In 2017, he created the musical project Les Tambours du Bénin in Ouidah, training courses and concerts for the analysis and transmission of Beninese musical heritage. Since 2020, he has been president of the CACO Collettivo des acteurs culturale de Ouidah, a collective that brings together artists, operators, journalists for the artistic and cultural development of the city of Ouidah