Compagnie Hervé KOUBI at State Theatre New Jersey

Absolutely unique and utterly original, this fearless, powerful company reigns from France, Algeria, and beyond. Combining contemporary and urban dance movements, capoeira, and martial arts with powerful imagery and inspired choreography, the dancers defy gravity. Inspired by Algerian author Yasmina Khadra’s novel, What The Day Owes To The Night traces Koubi’s own personal lineage as a French-Algerian choreographer. After learning about his family’s Algerian roots, Koubi returned to the country of his ancestors to collaborate with streetdance performers from across the Mediterranean basin. What emerged is “a creation of poetic beauty” (The New York Times), a meditative yet strikingly athletic work about the ties that bind us.

Named after the “invincible sun” deity, the work Sol Invictus upholds love as the guarantor of peace, that despite fracture, communion emerges as humanity’s saving grace. The music score includes a composition by Swedish composer Mikael Karlsson, with excerpts by Steve Reich and digital composer Maxime Bodson. “I want to talk about light, solidarity, and those bonds that unite us,” says Koubi. “Here, the sun and the dance will emerge victorious.”