Photo by Charlotte Audureau
Choreographer Fouad Boussouf blends hip-hop, contemporary dance, and new circus with traditional forms of his native Morocco. The esteemed creator presents the US premiere of Näss, which translates as “people” in Arabic, a work at the crossroads of frenetic modernity and ancestral rituals. Inspired by the mysticism of the Gnawa tradition and the regional dances of taskiwine and regadda, Boussouf questions his own roots while revealing a universal dimension where the power of community is championed above inevitable struggle and strife. “I composed Näss like a breath,” says Boussouf, “which reminds us how important it is to be firmly rooted in one’s land in order to feel its vibrations.”
The presentation of Näss is made possible by FUSED (French U.S. Exchange in Dance), a program of Villa Albertine and FACE Foundation, in partnership with the French Embassy in the United States with support from the Florence Gould Foundation, The Ford Foundation, Institut français-Paris, the French Ministry of Culture, and private donors.
Presented by Global Arts Live.
