Creation of the compagny

It was in Saint-Étienne, their home town, that Souhail Marchiche and Mehdi Meghari took their first dance steps together in the late 90s. These two self-taught dancers were attracted by the acrobatic and visceral aspect of Hip-Hop dance and built up their style in the course of their encounters.
Their desire to go on stage and discover other artistic universes led them to interpret for a variety of companies. Very quickly, their need for expression and mixing meant they got together to search, delve, assemble, disassemble, build, experiment, create….
The choreographers developed work around the themes of revolt and the inner struggle of individuals in an individualistic, violent and absurd society.

From 2012 onwards, the compagnie Dyptik has explored the theme of identity, through two choreographic pieces: En quête (2012) and Dyptik (2014). It then went on to investigate the field of revolt with D-Construction (2016), Dans l’engrenage (2017) and Le Cri (2018).

Studios

A real centre for artistic research, experimentation and creation, each year the Studios Dyptik support some ten companies via a system for guidance and residencies.

A resource centre in the region, the studios build bridges between the public, professionals and amateurs. Member of a national network coordinated by La Villette, the Studios Dyptik wish to develop their action for guiding both professionals and amateurs, while maintaining strong ties with the Saint-Etienne area. 

Alongside its creative work, Dyptik is behind the TRAX festival, set up in 2014. This festival is held in various places in Saint-Étienne and its surrounding areas. The company’s true ambition is to present a broad and eclectic vision of Hip-Hop dance to the Saint-Etienne public. This dance is thus very much in evidence in all its forms: creations, workshops, projections, battles, performances, choreographic creation contests, and so on.

The TRAX festival also hosts a choreographic creation contest: TRAJECTOIRES. This competition is intended for dancers and choreographers hailing from Hip-Hop dance who wish to open up to new choreographic forms. Four companies are selected, after submitting their application and video, to present a 20-minute creation extract in front of a panel of professionals. The winning company benefits from a residency period and programming in a number of festivals.

Far removed from conventional show venues, in 2018 the TRAX Festival took over the Ateliers MORSE for two hybrid evening performances mixing different artistic fields. The aim was to create a space of freedom and creation, between programming, improvisation and performance. The choreographers Saïdo Lehlouh (Cie Black Sheep) and Nacim Battou (Cie Ayaghma) were given free rein to propose two unique and original evening performances in an atypical venue in the very heart of the creative manufacturing district.

The next festival will be held from May 24th to June 1st 2019. This year’s edition is particularly geared towards the discovery of promising companies, which they have sometimes welcomed in their studio, such as the companies AL-FA, Sans Lettres, Tenseï and Boom Bap.