The name given to the company they founded in 1998 – A’Corps – is already a clue to the physicality cherished by Karim Amghar and Olé Khamchanla, champions of hip hop but not only. Amghar, of Maghrebi origin, has a background in contemporary dance with Pierre Deloche, while Khamchanla, hailing from Laos, delves into Brazilian capoeira and contemporary dance, guided by various choreographers (including the Italian Monica Casadei). Both joined hip hop companies, Traction Avant and Culture Street, before deciding to strike out on their own (the Art Corps et Danse/Compagnie A’Corps Association is based in Valence, France) due to shared intentions and artistic complicity devoid of rivalry or competition. Their first creation is aptly titled Rencontre; followed by Symbiose by Karim Amghar alone, Chantis, Nous sommes Tous… by Olé Khamchanla alone, Boomerang, and their latest piece, created in 2005, Deuxième Temps, Mémoire (also presented in May in Paris), which once again brings together the efforts of the two founders of A’Corps in weaving that blend of street and stage techniques typical of the métissage found in much multi-ethnic dance. A male trio featuring the two choreographers alongside Trung Ngon Vo, alias "Lowriz," Deuxième Temps, Mémoire is a kind of Proustian madeleine dipped in a Bloody Mary. For the creators, it represents the "second half" of a meeting that took place eight years ago, perhaps a new beginning in their shared artistic journey, seeking to give depth and introspection to hip hop while intertwining the personal experiences of all three performers. Memory does not serve as the basis for a narrative, which wouldn’t be in A’Corps’ style, but rather as a highly nuanced sum of emotions – nostalgia, passion, solidarity, frustration, friendship, loneliness – that emanate from their movements. Thus, Deuxième Temps, Mémoire offers not only technical brilliance and virtuosity, as seen in the Hip Hop Performance at Piazza Loreto, but also showcases feats, slow motion sequences, hints of tap dance, and polished break dance. The exploration of what was, of what the bodies of the three performers have experienced and refuse to relinquish, unfolds on a neutral stage filled with the thoughtful soundscape of Tomas Lioux and prepared by a short anticipatory creation specifically conceived for Oriente Occidente: Second Souffle.
