“To the roots of jazz dance”,

a workshop on resilience (June 17, 25)

On Sunday June 15, 2025, the Salle Duschenay at Montpellier’s Maison pour Tous George Sand hosted the 1st “Aux sources des danses jazz” dance workshop, led by choreographers Salia Sanou and Rémy Kouakou Kouamé. A landmark encounter devoted to Afro-descendant dances and the aesthetics of resistance and resilience that run through them.

Offered by Compagnie Mouvements Perpétuels in partnership with Swinging Montpellier, the workshop was part of L’événement 25 – Les chemins du vivant, supported by M28 – Terres de culture. It inaugurated a series of four events dedicated to exploring the links between the body, history and collective memory.

Over the course of an hour and a half, participants were invited to delve into the roots of jazz dance through a process combining movement, improvisation and sensitive listening. Guided by the words and presence of the two choreographers, the group explored how Afro-descendant dances have been constructed as spaces of resistance, but also as forms of resilience in the face of the violence of history.

Beyond technical training, the workshop offered a genuine opportunity for embodied reflection, where each gesture became a bearer of memory and transmission. An approach that was both accessible and demanding, enabling participants to link contemporary practices with deep-rooted cultural heritages.

This 1st event met with great interest, laying the foundations for a long-awaited cycle. The next workshop took place on July 17, 2025, as part of the opening night of the Swinging Montpellier Festival, continuing this exploration of jazz dance as a living, committed language.

The event is supported by the City of Montpellier and Montpellier 2028.

Some pictures of the workshop