Dancer and choreographer, cultural guest Akim Bakhtaoui puts on a “superhero” cape and takes on whatever he wants as a performer.
He can be spotted in industry circles as Alpha Extreme, a name that stems from the locking dance style that Bakhtaoui’s professionalism is based on. Locking is known for stopping movement and relaxed steps.
Alpha is one of the most difficult moves in locking.
Alpha Extreme sounds macho, but Bakhtaoui is anything but. For the likeable Bakhtaoui, the artist’s name is a kind of “superhero cloak” to hide behind.
– In that role, I present the things that I might be missing. As Alpha Extreme, I’m really confident and I take what I want, says Bakhtaoui.
Those skills are needed and valued in battle, which is the heart of street dance culture. In Battle, two dancers measure each other by performing their most difficult tricks in front of a live audience. In locking, it can be, for example, locked in an exaggerated position, a movement that defies gravity.
Bakhtaoui loves battles, and that’s where his mind wanders even now. However, the street dancer has a bigger mission: she wants to take street dance to places where it is not seen in Finland.
Bakhtaoui’s street dance piece had its premiere at Zodiak at the Helsinki Cable Factory on October 13. It is a historic change. Zodiak, the center of new dance, has been an almost untouched stage of contemporary dance until now.
– The creators of street dance in Finland may not yet have a complete idea of \u200b\u200bwhat can be done with street dance, Bakhtaoui states.
Paralysed by the army
The future street dancer grew up in Suutarila in northern Helsinki in the 1990s. There were hardly any other children of immigrant background in the neighborhood. Akim felt different. It was hard for him to be proud of his Moroccan roots.
One reason for the situation was the language barrier. Akim barely knew Arabic, his father’s mother tongue, and that made the relatives living in Morocco feel even more distant.
Akim spoke Finnish with his mother. With father, a mixture of Finnish, English and Arabic.
– My family and I visited Morocco a few times, but it was difficult for me to identify with the language and culture.
Bakhtaoui loves the feeling of closeness and caring in Morocco, but it was difficult to respond because of the language barrier.
– I remember a time in my childhood when I didn’t know how to be proud of my roots. I convinced myself that I was only Finnish and nothing else.
When one of the friends asked Akim to speak a little Arabic, he lied that he didn’t know the language.
Akim joined the army in 2014. That’s when everything changed.
The beginning was difficult. There was discipline, order and rules in the army, and everyone had to follow them. It came as a surprise to Bakhtaou.
– The army was a complete stop for me.
There were many other conscripts with an immigrant background as smoking buddies in Santahamina in Helsinki. It didn’t make it any easier.
Bakhtaoui had not sufficiently figured out in advance where he was going. He chose military service because everyone else in his circle of friends seemed to be doing the same.
– I was pretty down. Depressed and in trouble with myself, says Bakhtaoui.
Bakhtaou already had a career as a dancer before the army, he trained and performed with other artists. That’s why being in the army seemed difficult. In addition to the feeling of freedom, the identity also took a hit when the long hair had to be cut off.
Then dad entered the picture. He had noticed that the boy was not well when he was in contact with the household. Father went to Santahamina and asked what is it? Meetings at the military home became regular.
Father calmed down and advised that it is better to go with others in the army. This makes conscript service easier.
– Father was there for me and made me feel that everything is fine. I am very grateful to him for that.
The longing was strong. Bakhtaoui was about to destroy his closet in the room when the Father’s Day meeting seemed to be cancelled. That’s when the boy realized how important his father’s visits were.
The relationship changed.
– Then I got the feeling that my father was fully supporting me. And I let him be too. I might have pushed him away before, says Bakhtaoui.
“I have forgiven too easily”
Bakhtaoui was the only child of young parents. He grew into a kind and considerate person. As a child, he enjoyed himself best in his own circumstances. Video games interested me. Akim felt that he was not always very skilled socially.
He would have liked to have his say on things, but his social skills weren’t always enough.
– Such situations were left to be dug up.
Bakhtaoui went to Mäkelänrinne sports high school in Helsinki, and that felt like a turning point. Since Bakhtaoui didn’t know anyone from high school, social skills grew rapidly. Championship athletes study at Mäkelänrinne high school.
Bakhtaoui has easily gone along with the crowd, and tried to do everything he could to make everyone feel good in the group. If things have not progressed in the direction Bakhtaoui wished, he has been ready to compromise his principles.
Bakhtaoui thinks that he has sometimes forgiven too easily and was ready to sacrifice himself.
– Without having personally experienced that I have been asked for forgiveness.
He tells about an extreme situation in which two of Bakhtaoui’s friends sorted out their differences because of a debt in middle school.
– It was a small amount, but I paid it so that the conflict could be resolved. In hindsight, it was completely unnecessary. The matter could have been dealt with by talking, Bakhtaoui says now.
The “superhero cloak” awaits
– I told my mother about it. I realized even then that you can get good at dancing if you practice it.
– I completely fell in love with the job. I realized that this is my thing. I hadn’t felt good anywhere before.
Hip-hop’s multiculturalism appealed to Bakhtaoui. He felt a strong sense of togetherness in street dancing. Everything seemed to fall into place.
– Thanks to street dancing, I have learned to be proud of myself and my Moroccan roots. My relatives in Morocco and Finland are proud of what I do.
The hobby took Bakhtaoui to Töölö Kisahalli to train. Many other future street dance stars also trained there. In the same ecstasy, the dance group Will Funk for Food was born, which drew its style from locking. The group, which is still performing, took part in, among other things, TV shows (2013).
After the army, Bakhtaoui entered the Academy of Arts (TeaK) to study dance in 2016. The academic world felt foreign to a guy who danced in an urban environment.
– I didn’t know that dance had been written about. That there is also a text about it, Bakhtaoui smiles.
As a dancer, the energetic, dynamic and fast Bakhtaoui was amazed when the eyes had to be turned inwards at TeaK.
– Studying was hard, but gave a lot. Sometimes it felt like maybe street dancing wasn’t such a good thing in that world.
At the Academy of Drama, the focus was on contemporary dance.
Now three years after TeaK, Bakhtaoui is the father of a small child. The husband does office work in the healthcare industry. The family also includes a cat.
Right now, Bakhtaoui is interested in people and the development of technology as a creator of dance. It can be seen in the work. Bakhtaoui thinks we are distancing ourselves from humanity at the expense of technology.
Bakhtaoui, who lives in the midst of busy work and family, has a dream: he would like to put on the \”superhero cape\” of Alpha Extreme and go out for a walk again.
– For some hard competitions, Bakhtaoui smiles.