First  there is rhythm, the sounds of immemorial time, unceasing and  obsessive. From this rhythm is born the communion of seven dancers, a  fusion of energies and bodies, the power of the community with its  inherent violence and weaknesses. 

On  the border between the sacred and the profane, between frenetic  modernity and ancestral rituals, Näss challenges contradictory physical  states and affirms the fusion between the popular and urban aspects of  hip-hop. It questions its proper roots tracing their evolution until  today. Sources of inspiration are the regional dances of Morocco  taskiwine and regadda, as well as the mysticism of the Gnawa tradition.

“The  history of the famous band Nass el Ghiwane* from the 1970s in North  Africa has been of key inspiration to me. Their lyrics reminded me of  the strange connection with the anti-establishment current of rap and  hip-hop from the same period in the United States. I discovered a type  of hip-hop that is more spiritual, impregnated with ancestral  traditions.” – Fouad Boussouf

Näss  reveals a universal dimension, the eternal quest of men and women for  someplace else, spiritual or physical, using as language the rhythm,  that which unites and moves the bodies. Fouad Boussouf stands behind a  kind of hip-hop that is strongly anchored in its tribal African roots.

Source: Fouad Boussouf

More information: www.massala.fr/en

A choreographer, dancer and teacher, Fouad Boussouf trained as a hip-hop  dancer – his favourite style – but takes inspiration from different  dance forms, including contemporary dance. His multidisciplinary career  and experience as a performer make for a resolutely modern approach to  choreography and dancing, where hip-hop meets and merges with  contemporary expression, traditional North-African dances and new  circus. Difficult to classify, his work fuses these influences and  addresses pressing contemporary topics through the performances of his  dancers. 

Source: Company's website

More information: www.massala.fr

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

Established  by dancer and choreographer Fouad Boussouf in 2010, Massala Company  blends styles and artistic practices as diverse as hip-hop, contemporary  dance and new circus, as well as traditional dance forms and music from  Boussouf’s native Morocco and the Arab World. 

Mixing different rhythms and influences, Massala’s creations are  oriented towards transmitting and sharing emotions, thanks to the  technical mastery and the inexhaustible expressiveness of the dance. At  the heart of the artistic development of the company lays the sensual  and physical relationship to our roots and our mixed cultures. 

Source: Company's website

More information: www.massala.fr