The second appointment with hip hop dance at the Oriente Occidente Festival 2005 is quite unique. Dancing at the Teatro alla Cartiera and in the historic center of Rovereto is the Malagasy group Up the Rap. Directly from Madagascar, a testament to the 'oil slick' development from the Bronx to Europe, Tokyo to Africa, of the hip hop movement and its progressive globalization, this group, borrowing its name from the Up the Rap Festival (which has contributed since 1990 to spreading hip hop in the African country), arrives for the first time in Italy with their latest creation, Rah? Ay. Among the few professional dancers on the island, the members of Up the Rap are true stars not only in their country: they have undertaken numerous tours abroad and have made appearances in Europe, especially in France, where they have been regularly hosted since 2001. Rah? Ay is their fourth production born in 2003. The title means "What belongs to us" and inevitably refers to their land and origins. The stylistic hallmark of the group, founded in 1997 by the brothers Rudi and Angeluc Rehava in Antananarivo, is based on a curious blend of hip hop, traditional dances of Madagascar, jazz, and contemporary dance. Strictly barefoot, "You're not obliged," says 28-year-old Rudi, "to wear Nike to dance well," and often dressed in light-colored attire far from the colorful look required of street b-boys, the six dancers of the group rediscover and bring forth their culture in breakdance, starting from the traditional dances and music of the southern part of the island, the birthplace of the two founders. Athleticism and delicacy blend with the typical warrior temperament of African male dances, allowing for a gestural vocabulary that is more artistic than martial, yet marked by great energy. Rah? Ay tells their origins, their society, the link between yesterday and today, projecting towards a dreamed future without denying their past. The choreographic evolutions of Up the Rap are born from traditional beko songs and a musical collage composed personally by Rudi and Angeluc, assisted by arranger Nini, and performed with traditional instruments such as the valiha, a kind of indigenous zither. Immersed in their era, the dancers of Up the Rap create in Rah? Ay a condensed portrayal of Malagasy life, a sensual universe that astonishes and entertains. But above all, they embed in the pure pleasure of dancing—which far exceeds the boundaries of hip hop—that Art with a capital A which has no affiliation with the street. Yet, these six Malagasy dancers still want to take their art to the streets, as we will see during their performances in the streets of downtown Rovereto. It's an essential and direct exchange with the occasional street audience that encourages, supports, invites to challenge, and releases the surprising vitality of their island.
