Mourad Merzouki
Choreographer
Having first trained in martial and circus arts, he gravitated towards dance as a teenager, his inspiration drawn from hip-hop culture. He then further developed hip-hop movements while simultaneously exploring other dance genres.
After creating his first dance company Accrorap in 1989 with Kader Attou, Eric Mezino and Chaouki Saïd, he decided to expand artistically by establishing his own company, Käfig, in 1996. This name, meaning “cage” in Arabic and German, sets a symbolic tone which paradoxically demonstrates his “openness” and refusal to be locked into a single style.
Since then, as choreographer he has been working at the junction of many different disciplines: he adds circus, martial arts, fine arts, video and live music to his exploration of hip-hop dance. Without losing sight of the roots of hip-hop movement, this multidisciplinary approach opens up new horizons and reveals complete new outlooks.
Heading the national choreography center of Créteil and Val-de-Marne / Käfig company, near Paris, he develops an artistic project open to the world, but also rooted in the territory, beyond any aesthetic, cultural and social boundaries. Tours, workshops, residences and the Kalypso festival: there are numerous occasions to discover and celebrate hip-hop, an art which in more than 30 years has become a strong marker of the cultural heritage of French identity.
Since 1996, his company Käfig has performed 30 creations in 65 countries, giving over 3,000 performances for 1.7 million people.
After creating his first dance company Accrorap in 1989 with Kader Attou, Eric Mezino and Chaouki Saïd, he decided to expand artistically by establishing his own company, Käfig, in 1996. This name, meaning “cage” in Arabic and German, sets a symbolic tone which paradoxically demonstrates his “openness” and refusal to be locked into a single style.
Since then, as choreographer he has been working at the junction of many different disciplines: he adds circus, martial arts, fine arts, video and live music to his exploration of hip-hop dance. Without losing sight of the roots of hip-hop movement, this multidisciplinary approach opens up new horizons and reveals complete new outlooks.
Heading the national choreography center of Créteil and Val-de-Marne / Käfig company, near Paris, he develops an artistic project open to the world, but also rooted in the territory, beyond any aesthetic, cultural and social boundaries. Tours, workshops, residences and the Kalypso festival: there are numerous occasions to discover and celebrate hip-hop, an art which in more than 30 years has become a strong marker of the cultural heritage of French identity.
Since 1996, his company Käfig has performed 30 creations in 65 countries, giving over 3,000 performances for 1.7 million people.
Currently on screen
From 19 December
