The Lloydscompany team has just returned from Suriname. The reason for this tropical visit is the new performance KABITENI. This means “captain” in Surinamese, which is also what the performance is about. And this is not just any captain, but a female captain who lives in the interior of Suriname. Reason enough for Lloyd Marengo and his team to travel here.

‘I met her last year in a village in the Surinamese interior,’ says Lloyd. In 2024, Lloyd travelled to South America because he already knew he wanted to create a performance with Surinamese influences. "I have always been involved with and interested in hip hop. So I have been creating performances from the hip hop pool for a long time. And that's great. But I have never created a performance in Suriname or about Suriname. Even though that's where my roots lie and where I really felt at home in 2001. The dance styles in Suriname also stem from resistance. Just like hip hop. So I felt from the bottom of my heart that I wanted and needed to do something with that."

So this year he travelled back to Suriname, to the village of Bendekonde, where the female “kabiteni” is in charge. ‘That's not the norm, because in the past such a position was always held by men. That piqued my interest. And the guide told me that she loves music and dance. So I visited her and she told me about her life, her children and her love of singing.’

AWASA DANCE

Lloyd asked her to demonstrate the Awasa dance. "There are many dance styles in Suriname. But we wanted to focus on one dance so as not to confuse people. We chose Awasa because it is one of the most common dance styles, also in the Netherlands. There are now classes available, and people want to know more and more about it. I also think it's a cool style because it's low to the ground and involves footwork. So when I start working on hip-hop moves, I hope to be able to use that. I wanted to see more of it because I didn't know much about it. But I did know that there was a lot of thought behind it." And so Lloyd and his team were given a demonstration by four ladies dancing Awasa.

KABITENI AS THE CENTRE OF ATTENTION

That encounter and demonstration touched Lloyd so much that he decided to make the performance revolve around this woman. ‘She is a power woman, has nine children and has a huge responsibility. I can't let this pass me by. If I want to talk about dance, Suriname and Western hip-hop culture, I have to represent her.’ Lloyd therefore gives the dancers in the performance a specific message. That is also the message of the kabiteni herself. ‘That they should not lose their culture. We are going to see how we can express that through dance. That is an artistic challenge.’

CONNECTION WITH SURINAME AND HIP HOP

Lloyd is creating the performance together with an entire team, each of whom also has connections in Suriname. Marjorie Boston is the director; she comes from the hip hop culture. ‘She is a Surinamese woman and knows the interior of Suriname well. I want to create a performance about a woman. So I think it's important to have women on board who can correct me and tell me what it feels like to be a woman.’ The dancers also all have a Surinamese background and a hip hop background. ‘So we all know what we're talking about.’

IMAGE AND SOUND

In addition to a conversation with the kabiteni and a demonstration of Awasa dance, Lloyd and his team also shot footage in Suriname. This will form the backdrop for the performance. He also recorded sounds for the performance. ‘Now we have pumping hip-hop beats, but also drum beats that are central to Awasa music. We also incorporate stories into the performance. Because that's what Awasa is all about.’