MAMSON x CHARLIE LUCCINI ~ Visao Spotlight
PART 1 – MAMSON aka Mamé Diarra
“Mamson, is a french dancer & choreographer. As an artist, you should approach and display your talents with such finesse, and complex style. Music frees your mind and speaks through your body.”_Alex-T
VISAO: Tell us about your childhood? Inspirations?
MAMSON: In 1997, I really started to get into dancing (hip hop). I’ve been dancing since young age, a big influence was Michael Jackson of course. I initially began with B-Boying in Hip Hop, NewStyle and then House Dance. In 1999, I joined the Wanted Posse where my vision of the dance changed. Now, I dance professionally, I give classes and do shows with the Wanted Posse around the world. My inspirations are: Michael Jackson, Mangas, Matrix, all the members of the Wanted Posse.
VISAO: You’re pretty tall slim guy, do you think your physical attributes contribute to your style? Tell us what’s a typical practice session like, that may lead up to a show or a video.
MAMSON: Yes, I think my physical attributes contribute to my particular dance style, but there is so much work too (physically and mentally). I train 8-hours a day except weekends because of shows, workshops, or battles.
VISAO: You have a unique freestyle technique in dancing. Tell us how you develop your moves, and decide what’s visually appealing?
MAMSON: I try to be the most original possible, create new moves and to develop, even if at the beginning these moves have nothing to say and I don’t want to give a name to any of my moves.
VISAO: You’re part of the Wanted Posse & Serial Stepperz, dance crews. What’s your role in the groups and what feedback to get from younger kids?
MAMSON: My role is like everyone in the groups, I am dancer and choreographer.I get great feedback from younger kids, because I’m an example of a dream job to travel around the world doing what I love.
VISAO: Can you dispel the lines between hip hop vs. house music. Most fans stick to one or the other, seems as dancers you embrace both. Is there any firm belief you all share and favorite music artists you like dancing to?
MAMSON: For me is not hip hop vs house music, I like both, so I dance both. Energy is different but it’s the dance and we let the DJ do their thing, too.
VISAO: Dancing, full time job for you? What are your interests outside of dancing/hobbies? If you could tell us your ultimate goal w/ dancing what would it be?
MAMSON: Yes, dancing is a full time job for me. Outside of dancing, I go to the cinema (3 times a week), listening and watching Mangas (one piece is my favorite) and go to the theatre. My ultimate goal? Create a musical and create a dance school.
VISAO: Times are changing, and have definitely changed since we were kids. (Looks like we’re the same age) What would be the message you would like share with everyone at the end of this 2009?
MAMSON: Not to forget where you’re from, always believe in your dreams and pray. Salam.
Mamson 2010: Shows with wanted posse in Spain, Switzerland, Indonisia, Combodia, South Africa… Workshop in Russia, Kazaskhan, Spain, Belgium, Swizerland, Canada…Most of all, Peace!
PART 2 – CHARLIE LUCCINI (Dance Director)
VISAO: Charlie Luccini, you are a film and dance director, tell how you got started?
CL: I’ve been dancing since I was 8 years old and did my first short movie in high school. I started to combine those two passions since the first movie in a break dance battle scene (So old school ..lol).
VISAO: What was your education like? Who inspired you?
CL: It took me time to study all the main jobs involved on a musical motion picture. As a teenager, I took two years in a dance school to learn Jazz. After high school, I left my math studies to join a drama school, and then graduated from a cinema school in Paris. My brother was a choreographer, he taught my sister how to dance and I was always there practicing. My sister took me to my first dance show when I was 11, she loved Paula Abdul and I got stuck into that hip hop story since then, as a dancer, then a rapper, then a beat maker, then a songwriter, then a movie writer, now a director. I’ve been teaching what I’ve learned to the new generation for 10 years now. The musicals, “Singing in the rain”, “West Side Story” and “Grease” got me to the question “Why is it so hard for hip hop to be considered in major musical movies?” Michael Jackson inspired me the most, I consider “Smooth criminal” as the best video of all time!! And the most innovating hip hop moves in a pop video (That’s Poppin Taco).
VISAO: Tell us about the Johannesbourg Series, what’s the concept/message. Why Africa?
CL: The Johannesbourg Series started by the creation of a new show “Racines (Roots)” by the Wanted Posse. They took me in to compose the soundtrack. We worked hard for three month to find the best way to express the evolution of dancing from the past to nowadays.
I was honored and took the opportunity to build a visual concept around it.
The message was brought to us by the kids from Tembisa, Soweto and Alexandra. The Kwaito is gathers all those young kids dance music movements, Hip Hop, House music, Dance Hall and more.. We do the complete opposite, we split up Hip-Hop dancing into, Popp’n & Lock’n, Breakdancing, Crump’n, etc.. We should be allowed to mix up the influences we like as we want to. Dance the way, we want to and not be afraid not to be consider as hip hop or anything else. Cause hip hop is a way to live, a state of mind. Dancing is a way to express ourselves, a way to be proud of being human and able to feel life through body moves and defy gravity and share with nature. We’re all different and we don’t dance, not cause we been told to, not cause we been taught to, we dance cause we’re spontaneous. Africa took us back where we came from (and I’m not only talkin’ about cultural roots).
That’s what the Johannesbourg Series is about, that’s what the Wanted Posse shared down there.
VISAO: How did you hook up with Mamson?
CL: Mamson is a member of the Wanted Posse, so I’d say he was family, first of all. One morning I woke up to shoot a video shoot with Dedson (Fi-Hi Freestyle), and had one day left to test a new type of DV-CAM. Since I’m a workaholic and avoid wasting material time, I wanted to shoot something else, that’s when Tam (from Section C) told me, “If Mamson’s available you would get an interesting shot”. So I called him, and he told me, “I’ll be there in 20min”. That was the time I had to think about the place and the concept and shoot between the clouds moving fast. I’m glad Paris is one of the greatest spots to compose in. He killed that concept in one shot; he’s amazing and is one of my best inspirations.
I think the best way to express a dancer’s best skills, is to allow them to not only show some moves, but show their entire routines, linked moves and freestyles. There’s a spot in the human that can be reached and inspire our feelings when we look at a dancer, I try to capture that! It also takes a good dancer, a good spot, and great natural light, that’s the basis of my style. The editing is a matter of inspiration and color mood.
Other dancers to look for: My kids, UNDERCOVER (undercover gaiden on youtube), the TWINS, ICEE, LEGION X, DIABLO, FAB, PREPIX (Korea), they are so many to name.
VISAO: We’re loving the house music in you’re videos, who is it?
CL: Most of the time, I like to have original soundtracks for each video. VERBAL CLICK signed 80% of the soundtracks. The music is composed for each dancer and creates a better value. Hip Hop performers (singers and rappers) get on stage, make videos and get beats working with a whole crew. Dancers used to be left behind, now I try to find a way to put them in front.
VISAO: What’s your take on when to use hip-hop vs. house music in your videos?
CL: No rule about that, most of the house dancers are hip-hop dancers. The feeling is to key the level of motivation. If I get two good house dancers and ten good hip hop dancers, then I’d do more hip hop videos, if house dancing gives me better skills, so be it.
VISAO: What’s your ultimate goal and future plans with film? Tell us about Forty Four Films?
CL: My ultimate goal is to re-invent the musical movie. Forty Four Films is a way to represent my zip code, 44000. I live in Nantes ( Atlantic Ocean side of France). I’m willing to produce now so I can build up Luccini Productions.
Next productions: Gameplay - New show from the crew “UNDERCOVER” (5th place @ World Championships), Undercover Gaiden - TV pilot, Johannesburg Series host, Hip Hop Dance Freestyle and Back Pack Commercial and more to come…I’m also thrilled to be head coach of the team UNDERCOVER Boogie (partner) and I opened up a dance school in Nantes - The Misfits Academy: We’re willing to expand the young talents, to help our zip code to be represented in the next generations.
