Since he created Zahrbat, his first solo, Brahim Bouchelaghem has gone on to develop work as a choreographer and author that is highly-particular and sensitive. His dance, open to the world, nourishes itself with reflection, memories and exchanges. Each creation is a new adventure towards discovering the other. As such, for this new creation, he decided to take a group of eight Russian dancers with him into his poetic world. Together, they went on a quest to find sensitive expression, emotion. This creation focuses on real human exchange where paths of lives and poetic aspirations blend together. The strength of character and will power of these dancers propelled their troupe, the TOP 9, unto the international stage, where they took part in hip-hop contests and won the supreme honour, for a crew of breakdancers, Battle of the Year 2008.

Today, they have decided to write a new chapter in their history by discovering hip-hop d'auteur with Brahim Bouchelaghem. Drawing from human experiences, Brahim Bouchelaghem wished to confront paths of life that he would go on to illustrate through three themes: free will, the relationship between the individual and the group and the construction of the individual. These are the individual paths, the personal memories of each of the TOP 9 that would create the substance, the clay that Brahim Bouchelaghem set about modelling. Hand-in-hand with them, he questioned the crucial moments of past choices, choices that were insignificant or decisive. Together, they travelled again along the paths that branch off, transposing human experiences through danced movements and techniques that are specific to hip-hop. They occupy the spaces that divide horizontality and verticality, seeking their own arc between two deaths.

Source : Maison de la Danse programme

Born in Roubaix in 1972, Brahim Bouchelaghem discovered hip-hop in 1984. He trained and perfected his skills, then went on to acquire his first professional experiences and take part in the Battle of the Year 96. Spotted by Farid Berki, he joined the compagnie Melting Spot the same year. 

 In 1998, he joined the compagnie Käfig. The five years he spent with Mourad Merzouki offered him the opportunity to further his work as a performer and to acquire an intense initial experience as a trainer and assistant choreographer on the  project, organized as part of the Algeria Year.
 In 2004, Kader Attou invited him to recreate a role in Pourquoi pas.... This work was the starting point of a partnership and complicity, which led the compagnie Accrorap to produce Brahim Bouchelaghem's first creation, the solo “Zahrbat”. 

 In 2006, the compagnie Frank ll Louise invited him to recreate the roles for Drop it.
 In 2007, he met Carolyn Carlson, who decided to back his choreographic work and qualified him as a poet.
The same year, he founded the compagnie Zahrbat which benefited from the companionship of the Roubaix Nord-Pas de Calais National Choreographic Centre. He pursued his collaboration with Accrorap, through Kader Attou's creation Petites Histoires.com.

In 2008, he created El Firak and in January 2009, a new solo “What Did You Say? in partnership with Carolyn Carlson. In 2009, whilst on tour with Zahrbat in Saint Petersburg, he met a crew of hip-hop dancers, TOP 9, with whom he initiated a creative project “Davaï Davaï...”, performed for the first time on 11 July 2010.

In 2011, he became an associated artist at the CCN Roubaix as part of the Red Brick project. He joined the creative team for we were horses by Carolyn Carlson and Bartabas. In January 2012, he created a short piece for the Dancewindows programme, Tracks, using jazz music.
In 2012, he created Hiya (her), a piece about women, and more particularly in homage to his mother, in June 2012, for the Montpellier Dance Festival, for 3 dancers and some participation from him.
In 2013, he set up his company at Studio 28, 28 rue des Champs in Roubaix, in partnership with the Town of Roubaix ; workshops and regular classes will soon be organised there.
He also participated in Melissa Ellberger's creation in The Hague in February 2013.

Sources : Maison de la Danse show program ; Zahrbat Cie 's website

More information : zahrbat.com

Born in 1977, Fabien Plasson is a video director specialized in the field of performing arts (dance , music, etc).

During his studies at the Ecole Nationale des Beaux-Arts de Lyon (joined in 1995) Fabien discovered video art. He was trained by various video artists (Joel Bartoloméo Pascal Nottoli , Eric Duyckaerts , etc).
He first experimented with the creation of installations and cinematic objects.

From 2001 to 2011, he was in charge of Ginger & Fred video Bar’s programming at La Maison de la Danse in Lyon. He discovered the choreographic field and the importance of this medium in the dissemination, mediation and pedagogical approach to dance alongside Charles Picq, who was a brilliant video director and the director of the video department at that time.

Today, Fabien Plasson is the video director at La Maison de la Danse and in charge of the video section of Numeridanse.tv, an online international  video library, and continues his creative activities, making videos of concerts, performances and also creating video sets for live performances.

Sources: Maison de la Danse ; Fabien Plasson website

More information: fabione.fr

La compagnie Zahrbat est une compagnie de danse hip hop portée par son directeur artistique Brahim Bouchelaghem.Depuis plusieurs années, Brahim Bouchelaghem développe son travail de création, dynamisme central de la compagnie à travers ses activités de production et de diffusion qui s’appuient sur la médiation et les actions culturelles ainsi que la pédagogie.La méthode singulière de création de Brahim Bouchelaghem basée sur les expériences personnelles et les carnets de voyage ouvre naturellement des portes entre l’artistique et les actions culturelles. La transmission reste quant à elle un souhait profond.