Interview - SÔ AVA - With dancer and choreographer Smaïl Kanouté

FdFK : When a project like SÔ AVA begins to take shape, what emerges first within you : an image, a sensation, a movement, a story, or a question you have not yet found an answer to ?

Smaïl Kanouté : "Before creating the stage production of "SÔ AVA", I made a film with the same title six years ago. It was a dance film in which I travelled to meet a Vodun lakeside community in Benin during the Vodun festival. I went there with a Sami shaman friend, and that’s where I made this short dance film. I told myself that, a few years later, I would like to continue this work, but on stage.The first things that came to mind were images and the feeling of being able to communicate with the invisible. The idea was to call upon the bodily memory I experienced there. By reactivating that memory, the aim is to continue this journey by inviting other dancers who are also connected to this subject, in order to create new imaginaries. It is easier when I work with dancers who are already immersed in some form of spirituality, because otherwise it would have taken me longer to introduce them to it. But, of course, you are never safe from surprises when it comes to the creative process. So yes, that’s why I chose to work with artists who feel connected to this subject.”

FdFK : The title, SÔ AVA, which refers to a lakeside community in Benin, seems to open up an imaginary world even before we discover the work. What aspect of animist practice would you like to reveal to the audience?

Smaïl Kanouté : "Yes. Where I went, it was known as the ‘mountain under the water.’ I like to start from this image, this poetic image for us, but a concrete one for some, and use it to lead the audience into spirituality, directly into animist imagery. For me, the idea is really to explore this philosophy with the audience. At its core, it is a connection with nature that calls to us directly: a connection with Nature, with a capital N, but also with our own human nature. What I want to share with the audience are these notions of animist philosophy that we encounter and explore together, to create a dialogue, but also to evoke sensations, images, and dances, leaving traces either in their memory or in their bodies, with goosebumps, or with memories that remain vividly alive. So the idea is really to embark on a personal and collective journey.”

FdFK : Would you say that this is, above all, an attempt to introduce audiences to something they may not necessarily be familiar with, and perhaps to move them through sensations they may never have experienced before?

Smaïl Kanouté : "Yes. For me, the aim is to invite the audience into a choreographic ritual. We open this choreographic ritual on stage, and whether or not we close it at the end of the performance, the idea is to invite the audience into this ritual that is our own. Without introducing sacred symbols or directly invoking the sacred, because we are not necessarily initiated into these practices.

FdFK : Is your intention to become fully initiated into Vodun spirituality, or would you say that, for now, you are simply initiated into certain aspects of it?

Smaïl Kanouté : "No, I’m initiated into other practices, such as Reiki, for example, which is a Japanese Buddhist practice. In Vodun, you don’t ask to be initiated, it is something that is offered by those within the tradition. No one asks to be initiated. I think I will be initiated one day, but for now, that isn’t the case, or perhaps it simply isn’t the right time. I know that the practices I have been initiated into share certain similarities with Vodun, but with different codes, different cultures, and different spiritual traditions. If one day I am offered the opportunity to be initiated, I would say yes. But if it never happens, then things will continue to unfold anyway, whether I am initiated into one tradition or another.”

FdFK : And to what extent are you able to connect with your spirituality in your everyday life, outside of SÔ AVA ?

Smaïl Kanouté : "Before going to Benin, I was already immersed in different spiritual traditions, whether Sufism, Reiki, or my Malian culture. So when I went there, I already carried a lot of spiritual experience with me. That’s what they saw, and it made the process more fluid. While I was there, I encountered other forms of spirituality that felt natural to me. That was also part of the appeal of reconnecting with nature. In Paris, we don’t have that same luxury, but in Benin, being back in a lakeside town, surrounded by nature, where the different elements expressed themselves through dance and song, was incredibly powerful. And it continues to stay with me. As for Paris, I was born here, so I know how Paris works. I’ve created my own bubble, with my own rituals. I meditate every day, every morning, and I practice my rituals. Whether I’m here or there doesn’t really matter. What matters most is being in tune with oneself.”

FdFK : In the creative process, we often talk about mastery and control. But what place do you give to the things that escape you, the unexpected, improvisation, or an unforeseen reaction ?

Smaïl Kanouté : "For me, the most important thing is to have the story and to create it together with the performers. I leave a lot of room for them to express themselves, make suggestions, and question the story, or stories, that I want to tell. So I work a lot with improvisation. Once I have the framework in place, I remain very open to it. For me, improvisation and the unexpected are what allow the piece to remain alive, so that we can be surprised each time we perform it. I never want to reach a point where, after performing it over and over again, we become tired of it or bored. It is also a way for me to remain humble in relation to these subjects, because we will never be able to explore everything. So, for each performance, I want to preserve that humility and continue the research throughout the run, opening doors we might never have considered if I had arrived with a fully written choreography. The idea is that every performance is unique, and that no two performances will be identical. This principle has been there from the very beginning, because it nourishes us, but also because we encounter a different city, country, audience, and energy each time. And in SÔ AVA, since we are talking about philosophy, spirituality, and energy, these things never stop; they are always present and constantly evolving. The aim, therefore, is to reveal different facets depending on the different energies that emerge on stage from one performance to another. So, for me, it is important to improvise at certain moments, to allow ourselves to be moved by these invisible energies.”

FdFK : What image or sensation would you like to leave your audience with? What would you like them to take away from the experience and pass on to others ?

Smaïl Kanouté : "What matters most to me is that the audience leaves with the idea that we need to work on ourselves. What matters is returning to oneself in order to express the best version of who we are. This isn’t about coaching; it’s more about telling the audience that it is from within, from their own imagination, that they can bring the best of themselves to the world. The idea is also to find places where we feel well. And the word “Vodun” means “to be well with.” So that’s another notion I explore: “To be well with what?” And the answer can be many things. It will depend on each person, on the moment, and on so many different factors. SÔ AVA is about how to remain alive within ourselves, but also in the outside world, by reaching towards others. Reaching towards others while, at the same time, returning to ourselves. These are two simultaneous journeys, and I find that really interesting. I also try to convey to the audience that spirituality is not necessarily connected to religion. You can be non-religious and yet deeply spiritual. It is very important to me to say that. Whether we want it or not, things are there—visible or invisible, they are there. So we all live alongside them, whether we are conscious of it or not. For me, the most important thing is to remain curious enough to try to see them, to reveal them. There is no universal truth; truth is unique to each of us. There are as many forms of spirituality as there are human beings, and ultimately, all spiritual traditions stem from the same place, even if they have different codes and different cultures. Whether it is shamanism among the Sámi or Vodun in Benin, at their core, they are essentially the same thing. Spirituality is about revealing oneself from within while remaining connected to life and to nature.

FdFK : What has SÔ AVA revealed about yourself ?

Smaïl Kanouté : "I think it has helped me reconnect more deeply with my sense of integrity. By integrity, I mean that it has brought me back to myself. It has also allowed me to explore percussion and singing. I have a stutter, and it was through meeting the Black Indians of New Orleans that I found myself having to sing. There, songs and dances are ways of communicating with the invisible. All of this has also encouraged me to keep searching for my roots, and for what I want to become in the future. It is also a pivotal moment in my life, as I am turning 40 and the company is celebrating its tenth anniversary. So, in a way, it is a symbolic cycle that is both closing and opening at the same time. I have also been able to reconnect with the adventurous, exploratory, and entrepreneurial spirit that I had when I first started out ten years ago."

FdFK : Where would you like to take your creative practice next ?

Smaïl Kanouté : "I already have the next piece in mind. I’d like to delve deeper into dance and visual art, and to no longer be afraid of venturing into spirituality. Without giving too much away, the idea behind the next show will be about reconnecting with our inner child, everything surrounding childhood, dreams, poetry, spontaneity, encounters, and authenticity. All of that interests me."

FdFK: Will you be exploring a new form of spirituality, or continuing along the same path ?

Smaïl Kanouté : "C'est la même continuité, et je suis toujours ouvert à rencontrer d'autres spiritualités qui puissent me faire avancer ou qui puissent me faire rencontrer des personnes ou des communautés pour continuer à nourrir tout ça."

FFK : Are there any emerging curiosities you have about cultures or spiritual traditions that you are not yet familiar with and would like to explore or be initiated into ?

Smaïl Kanouté : "I’d really like to go to the Amazon and meet Indigenous peoples. That has always been something I’ve wanted to do. I’d like to pursue that while continuing to bring together different disciplines, whether documentary filmmaking, live performance, or other forms. I also want to return to fashion by relaunching a clothing brand, drawing on the history of the samurai and Afro-Japanese culture. The brand will be called Fégui, after the village in Mali where my parents are from. The idea is also to bring clothing back to the centre of some of my projects. I think it will do me good, because fashion was one of my first artistic passions, particularly through graphic design. It will be another way of continuing to tell stories through a different medium."