Mailly Jean Pascal is a master dancer, mask performer, acrobat, percussionist &
fire eating teacher and performing arts expert. Born and raised in Cote d’
Ivoire, West Africa, Jean grew up in the village of Guimeyo Soubre where he
started dancing & performing when he was nine years old. He began his first
studies with his uncle Abel Guié & Grandmother Gagnie Elise. During
early village celebrations, his Grandmother led the song and dance circles. She
encouraged Jean to dance and sing with his village elders during ceremonies and
celebrations. Throughout his early childhood, he developed a keen awareness and
respect for his cultural Diaspora, which led to his life work in traditional
West African music & dance.
In
1995, Jean left the village to begin his formal studies as a dancer, teacher and
musician in Abidjan & Grand Bassm. He enrolled in the dance school Talehi,
where his brother Mailly Tagba was director at that time as well as a member of
Gboze. He studied for seven years under the instruction of Master Teacher Bally
Florentine and Kassa. Upon his completion of this program, he earned his
professional dance license from the Ministry of Arts & Culture.
In 2000, Jean began offering traditional dance classes
and workshops to local and international students who came to study dance and
music in Abidjan at the Yammousouk Dance School for Arts and Culture.
International
Experience: Performance, Classes & Instructional Workshops & Tours
·
Dubai (2007)- Dubai Festival of International Arts- performances
& workshops
·
Senegal (2008) -Dakar Independence Day Celebration- Goree Island-Performances
·
Casablanc Morocco (2008): Africans Arts Consortium- 10 week
dance workshop intensive
·
Germany, Berlin- (2009) Cultural &Arts: Performances &
Dance workshops & classes
Currently,
in Abidjan, Jean performs regularly at: Club Wafou, Ambrose Night Club, Equinox
Dance Center & St. Germaine nightclub. He participates in artist events
with the Minister of Culture- FESMI: le Festival des Musiques Ivoriennes & Palais
de la Culture d’ Abidjan. In addition, Jean continues to perform traditional
Mask dances at marriages, baby naming ceremonies and other festivals and
celebrations. He teaches classes to international groups who travel to Cote d’
Ivoire to study music & dance. His style is highly energetic while
simultaneously delivering simplicity, beauty and grace through traditional dance
expression.
Jean formed his own dance and drum company in 2005: Troupe Bagnon,
which offers performances, classes and workshops locally and internationally,
and in 2008, he became the Cote d’Ivoire leader of the international drum and
dance troupe Gboze, as well.
Traditional Ivorian dances taught include:
Abodan: A
generational dance celebrating norms, expectations and roles
of various generations
Gbegbe: A
hunting dance to honor a successful hunting season where men
were able to feed their immediate and extended families
Temate:
Celebrates the harvesting of rice
Kotou: Where
many villages join together to share a successful yam harvest
Kuku Manding: An initiation & coming of age
dance
Kakilambe:
Stilt man dance honoring the spirits of the night that protect all young
children from evil
N’goron:
Woman dance celebrating the beauty and vitality of all women
Zaouly: A female dance used to woo a
handsome young man into love and eventually lifelong marriage blessed with
happy, healthy children & long &
prosperous life
Zouglou:
A ritualistic dance performed in the late hours of a full
moon night , danced around a blazing fire, to call out and ask the ancestral spirits
of the forest to bless unfertile couples, and bless them with child bearing
fruition.
Didadi:
Strong man dance honoring the strength and power of men
Mask Gla
Afro-contemporary
The energy and wisdom Jean shares and teaches in his dance
is a vital part of his life work and mission as it relates to the simplistic,
yet highly complex fabric of life woven throughout Africa: yesterday and today.
His
disciplined studies and work have instilled in Jean a deep appreciation,
understanding & respect for these mysterious and ancient dance and music
forms. His talent and knowledge comes
forth as a sincere gesture of commitment to learning and sharing the knowledge of his ancestral African roots & culture through
traditional dance and music.
