This Ivorian dancer’s story is told through his delicate and emotive performances
At the latest La Sunday party in Abidjan, Yos Clark gyrated in the audience, his feet in high-heeled boots and his head topped by a wide-brimmed straw hat, itself wrapped in a veil that covered his face. Think anti-bee-and-coronavirus gear. That Clark, a 26-year-old dancer from Côte d'Ivoire, could freely camp it up and elicit ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ from the revellers that night says a lot about the mindset of the new generation of Ivorians and about the fearless audacity of Clark himself.
An eloquent and self-assured performer, he's famous in Abidjan's creative circles for his gender-bending outfits that outline a lean body, and for his voguing talents that are showstoppers at parties. "I've always managed to make people love me, and not make quick judgements about me," he shares.
His fairy tale-like story is well-known around here. As a child Clark fell in love with ballet after discovering the TV series Un, Dos, Tres. But he kept this passion secret until the age of 18. Then, having dropped out of school for personal reasons, he taught himself ballet by watching YouTube videos. The images he posted on Facebook of himself in movement caught the attention of a French ballet teacher, who, moved by his devotion, decided to give him free lessons via Skype. These sessions took place two evenings a week in his living-room, sanctioned by his parents. He finally met his teacher when the TV show Africa's Got Talent invited her on stage after his performance. This surprise encounter moved him to tears.
By then, he didn't know that another fairy godmother would play a major role in his career. After dancing for the producer Abass Zein at an event in Abidjan, the latter recounted Clark's story to the audience. Josephine Gauld, the British ambassador to Côte d'Ivoire, was touched and managed to find a scholarship for him at a dance school in Warrington, where he’s relocated to since 2018. This was the same year that his mother passed away, a loss that has since fuelled his use of dance to express deeply rooted emotions, and has resulted in his most recent personal project, The Other Side.
“Dance is like a cradle that no newborn can escape when it’s time to sleep. It becomes a necessity, anytime and anywhere, even in the darkest moments of my life,” he reflects. “Just hearing or even thinking about a beat makes me dance. It's also the best way for me to celebrate, to disconnect from reality whenever I want. For me, dance is life."
At his age, he's aware that a career as a ballet dancer is uncertain. He now considers himself a contemporary dancer and hopes to follow in the footsteps of heroes such as Pina Baush and Martha Graham by pursuing a career as an international dancer, choreographer and video producer. He's also found a new pursuit in photography and has modelled at London Fashion Week. But of course, he makes time to return to Côte d'Ivoire and the country is always on his mind. "There is no place like home," he says. "But right now, I have no real opportunities here. We have all the talent, but no training. In future I would like to open a dance school in Abidjan.”