Compagnie Hervé Koubi explores his lost roots in street dance-inspired ‘What the Day Owes to the Night’ Jan. 22

UNIVERSITY PARK (Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025)—For many years, medically trained dance artist Hervé Koubi questioned his last name, a surname of non-French origin. Finally, when in his mid-20s, his father relented and revealed a secret ancestry.

The dancers of Compagnie Hervé Koubi will translate the choreographer’s journey in “What the Day Owes to the Night,” a semi-autobiographical account of a buried ancestry in a nod to universal origin stories, at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 22, in Eisenhower Auditorium.

Tickets are $48 for an adult; $15 for those 18 and younger; and $10 for a University Park student and are available for purchase online. The Arts Ticket Center is the only authorized outlet for individual tickets for events presented by the Center for the Performing Arts.

Avoid the $4-per-ticket online service fee by calling 814-863-0255; or buying in person from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. weekdays at Eisenhower Auditorium.

Visit Compagnie Hervé Koubi online for more information about the performance and a free community Joyfull event.

“Herve, who thought that his great-grandparents were coming from Brittany, were placed in France and went back [to Africa] with the kind of colonization in the 19th century and then came back to France again with the events of independency in Algeria,” Compagnie Hervé Koubi Executive Director Guillaume Gabriel said in a Center for the Performing Arts interview. “So, it was a big shock for him.”

“What the Day Owes to the Night” explores his journey between a perceived comfort zone of French privilege and a destination that revealed a rich and complicated personal family history.

The performance is a collaborative response to Koubi’s journey to Algeria to discover his roots. There, he worked with a group of male street dancers in disciplines including martial arts, capoeira and hip-hop.

The wide-ranging story of “What the Day Owes to the Night” is also present in the soundtrack, which includes traditional Arabic, Sufi trance and European classical music.

Watch a preview of “What the Day Owes to the Night.”

FREE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT EVENT

The Joyfull
Compagnie Hervé Koubi Edition
6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 21
Eisenhower Auditorium lobby and Willaman Walkway

When our bodies are hungry, we need to eat. But when our souls are hungry, we crave a different kind of nourishment. Just like food, art comes from many forms, cultural backgrounds, and histories. At each Joyfull, we welcome all to come and enjoy a meal, live performance and conversation.

Join the Center for the Performing Arts at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 21, in the Eisenhower Auditorium lobby for an artistic program, followed by dinner in the Verne M. Willaman Gateway to the Sciences, third floor of the Huck Life Sciences Building. The menu will be North African-inspired cuisine.

Free sustainable utensil sets will be given to first-time attendees while supplies last. Help us reduce waste by bringing them with you to use at each Joyfull. We also will offer recipe cards at the event. If you would like to contribute, please bring a recipe of your choice to share.

The event is free, but registration is required. Visit The Joyfull online for more info and to register.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Accessibility services supported by
William E. McTurk Endowment for Program Support

Support for The Joyfull events provided by
Dick Brown and Sandy Zaremba
Penn State Equal Opportunity Planning Committee in The Office for the Vice Provost for Educational Equity

A grant from the University Park Fee Board makes student prices possible.

FIND US

For more information about the season, visit the Center for the Performing Arts online, Facebook and Instagram.