BALA FUNK

Synopsis:  In honour of the victims of the Jacarezinho massacre, which occurred on May 6, 2021, during an operation carried out by the Civil Police of the State of Rio de Janeiro.

Every 23 minutes, a young Black man dies in Brazil.

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Year: 2021 (Canadian premiere)

Duration: 3:11

Dir. Smail Kanoute

Dancers: Smail Kanoute and Severo Dos Santos

Bios

Smaïl Kanouté defines himself as a “choreographer-graphic artist”, this word reflecting his interdisciplinarity since he is at the same time a graphic designer, screen printer, visual artist and dancer. In 2013, he co-directed short dance films on the border between dance and visual arts such as “UNIVERS” (in collaboration with Philippe Baudelocque), “JIDUST” (in collaboration with Antonin Fourneau) and “NEVER TWENTY ONE”. This last short film is part of a triptych of short films dealing with the condition of the black community in the world at different times. The second part “YASUKE KUROSAN” talks about Afro-Japanese mixing and the story of the slave Yasuke who became a samurai. The third part “SO AVA” explores the philosophy of voodoo dances of the lake community of So Ava in Benin, through the reinterpretation of the link between the invisible and dance.

Severo Dos Santos is a dancer, master of ceremonies, cultural and artistic producer. With Grupo Imperadores da Dança, he coordinates a social training project Passinho for young people from the communities of Jacaré and Manguinhos, in the northern zone of Rio de Janeiro. As a dancer, he has participated in major events such as the opening of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, the Eu Amo Baile Funk, Rio Parada Funk, Batekoo, Errejota party. He has produced music videos (Lexa) and participated in the recording of artists such as Anitta, Ludmilla, Baco Exu do Blues… In 2023, he produced and directed the shows Boca, Traficando Arte presented at the Municipal Theater of Rio de Janeiro, and Visão de Creates presented in schools in São Paulo. He is the master of ceremonies of the Red Bull BC One (break) event and the Battle Red Bull Passinho.