Nacera Belaza

Shrouded in darkness, barely distinguishable bodies swirl across the space, set to an obsessive musical beat, and infinitesimal lighting changes. The repetitiveness of their movements is one in which abandonment gives rise to virtuosity. Indeed, the choreographic universe of the Franco-Algerian artist Nacera Belaza, born in 1969 in Médéa (Algeria) makes audiences feel as if they are entering into a new dimension. Based on a unique journey of her own, her deeply personal work uses pared-down gestures taken from the world of ritual in order to probe into the essence of dance and movement. She experiments with both small and large-scale formats, and draws upon the dance heritage of different peoples in order to make sense of them in the contemporary realm. This Focus sets up a unique dialogue with the audience, and invites it on a journey from the "stage" to the living.

Born in Algeria, Nacera Belaza lives and works in France. After studying modern literature, she set up her own company in 1989, with the aim of expressing and unravelling the complexity of a dual cultural background. Since her first pieces, Le Sommeil rouge (1999) and Le Pur hasard (2005), she has explored movement as a continuous breath, confronting patience, rigour and simplicity with what she calls the "deafening din of our lives". Her work continues with Le Cri (2008), which won the Prix de la révélation chorégraphique from the Syndicat de la Critique, Les Oiseaux (2014) and L'Onde (2020). Her work is regularly presented internationally, and in France at the Festival d'Automne à Paris, Montpellier Danse, the Rencontres Chorégraphiques Internationales de Seine-Saint-Denis and the Festival de Marseille. Alongside her work in France and abroad, she has set up a cooperative in Algeria, enabling her to work regularly with her native country.

“What discourages the audience is not the demands being made on it, but the feeling of not being heard, taken in. It is this which, ultimately, resembles a disturbing and strange form of love.”

Read the interview with Nacera Belaza