In collaboration with Jaï Production, students from INMAAC (Institut National des Métiers d'Art, d'Archéologie et de la Culture) at the University of Abomey-Calavi, Benin, are putting the spotlight on the traditional dances of Benin. 

They selected six dances from Benin's rich choreographic heritage, divided into three categories. They gave demonstrations and contributed their expertise to describe and explain these dances, which permeate Benin's social and cultural life on a daily basis, as can be seen in the video clips in which traditional dance is used in the background. Or the creations of contemporary choreographers. It's also a chance to discover Benin's artistic scene!

Zinli, formerly known as Avi-Zinli, is a funeral rhythm from the Abomey plateau, created by Prince Gbinyin, the future King Glèlé (1858-1889), for the funeral of a friend of his father, King Guézo. It is played on a vase drum, which gave its name to the Zinli rhythm, accompanied by gongs, rattles, clapping and supported by singing. The dance, as Orphé Azifan shows here, requires great flexibility and mobility in the upper body. The variation of steps on the spot responds to the different phrases performed by the main percussionist.

For a long time reserved for its original funerary function, the Zinli became widely popular from the 1980s onwards thanks to the artist Alèkpéhanhou (Michel Loukou in his civil status), considered to be "the king of the renovated Zinli".

In Sans regard, a piece created in 2011 during "Dansons Maintenant!", an event organised by the Fondation Zinsou, choreographer Marcel Gbeffa takes over a public square in Cotonou. The nine dancers emerge from behind containers on which hang large-format portraits by photographer Antoine Tempé. Coating their bodies with kaolin powder, they perform the movements of the Zinli, slowing them down as they do so, giving shape to curious characters who take the audience by surprise! This is followed by a solo by the choreographer, whose work explores the animal side of the individual.

Zandrô is an integration rhythm designed to encourage socialisation. Once sacred, it brings communities together and reinforces the values to which society is attached. Its resonance, especially during rituals, attracts the sons and daughters of the land from all related villages, reflecting the sense of belonging to the social cultural group. This dance consists of side steps followed by a few arm movements. As soon as the intensity of the rhythm increases, the dancer stoops down, exerting more energy.

A musical group of singers, percussionists and dancers dedicated to promoting Beninese cultural values, the Guèdèhounguè brothers won Best Traditional Group at the Koras Awards in 2012, the African equivalent of the Victoires de la musique in France or the Grammy Awards in the United States. In this clip, they perform the Zandrô dance

Beninese culture is not just oral. It is underpinned by a multitude of objects such as masks, which are governed within societies that are sometimes secretive, and to which rhythms and dances are associated.

Originating from the Yoruba Nago cultural area, in particular the town of Kétou, Guèlèdè masks depict women dressed in beautiful accoutrements and shiny outfits. They are worn only by men. In the past, the Guèlèdè dance was performed in the village square at the end of the harvest, or during important events such as births, deaths, droughts or epidemics. Its mission was to solve existential problems such as sterility, madness, serious illness and death, as well as family disputes. Each mask has a specific meaning, and from one region to another, the costumes change. Now danced on many occasions, the Guèlèdè is included on UNESCO's list of humanity's intangible heritage.

Guèlèdè is accompanied by the bolodjo rhythm. It can be danced with or without a mask, as in this demonstration by Orphé Azifan. The dance involves movement from the shoulders and is accompanied by a rhythm expressed by the movement of the feet. It also requires movement at the hip.

One of Benin's biggest singing stars, Zeynab uses a Guèlèdè ceremony as the backdrop for her video. A group of women sing and dance to encourage and accompany the masked dancers.

Egungun (or Kouvitô in Fon, meaning "revenant") is a secret society of masks. The masks represent deceased loved ones who return to manifest themselves to the living. The revenants leave the convent for ceremonies, the last part of which is very spectacular and public. Performed without masks by the uninitiated, as in this demonstration by Orphé Azifan, the dance is called Ogbon. Highly energetic, it requires great skill, and in particular mastery of foot placement to avoid falling. It is performed both standing and crouching.

This video clip from Sessimè, another of Benin's biggest music stars, intersperses Ogbon dance sequences. The rhythm, also known as Ogbon, is played with a small drum, the one presented to the singer and heard at the beginning of the clip. Nicknamed the "talking drum", it is played with the hand, while seated or with one foot on a stand. The phrase "nye we do gbon é na xo wé", repeated by the artist and meaning "I play the Ogbon and it will have an effect on you", suggests the powerful impact of this rhythm.

Another talking drum is the Gangan, shown in this video clip by the singer Aloké, whose real name is Serge Adilehou. In the context of the Egungun (or Kouvitô) ceremony, the various moments of which are shown here: leaving the convent, blessing the priests, consulting the Fa (art of divination), it is larger than Ogbon and is played with a curved stick as it moves. There is a succession of masks in shimmering colours, each associated with a type of death (violent death, old age, death of a twin, etc.). Interacting in a form of dialogue with the singer, the drum incites the souls of the departed to dance, with a growing ardour that goes so far as to jostle the audience, in a sense of excess that punctuates all Egungun ceremonies.

This energy of overflow and disorder also concludes the show Chaos Elégant. It's the same atmosphere that Beninese choreographer Arouna Guindo wanted to bring to the stage, combining it with the frenzied energy of hip hop cyphers. There are no masks here: the dancers wear the yellow shirts of the Zemidjan, the motorbike taxis that criss-cross Benin's capital. In this sequence, the first dancer, Horace Yehouenou, mixes Ogbon dance with various urban dances, notably voguing and Afro dance. The second dancer, Hariel Dossou, imitates the steps and movements of Adé, one of the Egungun masks, who spectacularly twirls his cape around himself.

Like the Zinli and the Guèlèdè, as well as many other traditional Beninese dances, the kaka was a ritual dance before it took on a festive character. While dancing, the kaka dancer strikes a piece of bamboo with a stick, producing a sound called "kaka", which also gives its name to the instrument and to the dance. This dance is practised in the Ouémé region, near the southern border with Nigeria, particularly in Porto Novo and Sèmè-Kpodji. It combines arm, shoulder and foot movements, turns, and forces the dancer to stoop. It can be danced in a group, in pairs or individually.

Sagbohan Danialou, nicknamed the "orchestra man" for his mastery of a wide range of instruments and percussion, is one of the living monuments of traditional Beninese music. At over seventy, he continues to perform in Benin and on international stages with a repertoire of anthology pieces. In this one, he evokes the slavery that profoundly marked the history of Benin, formerly the Kingdom of Danxomé.

Unlike many other dances in Benin, whether funerary or sacred in origin, Massè Gohoun is first and foremost a dance of celebration. It is practised by the people of Avrankou, a commune in the Ouémé region just a few kilometres from the capital Porto-Novo. Particularly energetic and enduring, it is inspired by scenes from everyday life: eating, quarrelling, having fun, working, taking the time to savour life. In a slightly bent posture, the dancer tries to shake his shoulders while following the intensity of the rhythm.

Massè Gohoun is played at weekends as part of the festivities known as "Agô", which accompany various ceremonies. The accompanying drum is called the Gohoun.

Dossou Lètriki is the stage name of Migbogohin Assogba Dossou. A pupil of Yedenou Adjahoui, the king of the Massè Gohoun rhythm who made this dance known throughout Benin, he became the heir to the genre on the master's death in 1995. A leading figure in traditional Beninese music, he died in 2010. This video pays tribute to him.

INMAAC students: project leaders: Prince Ahossi, Orphé Azifan, Florida Mama. 

Dance demonstration: Orphé Azifan, Airy Solimé, Laurence Mito-Baba. Video production: Prince Ahossi. 

And Léodette Gbetoho, Dagenar Codo, Corine Amoussou, Allégria Agossou, Julienne Fassinou, Jaurès Menouho, Bienvenu Fanou-Ahé, Parfait Lokossougbo, Paul Djossou, Dostado Adgobzo, Jérôme Singbo. 

With the support and encouragement of Dr Rose Akakpo, head of the Drama/Music department at INMMAC, playwright and teacher.