Overview
“With its propulsive communal energy, Fouad Boussouf’s choreography seems as steeped in ancient traditions as it is driven by contemporary urgency.” – The Boston Globe
Näss (Arabic for “people”) from Moroccan-born choreographer Fouad Boussouf is inspired by the famous 1970s Maghreb Moroccan group Nass el Ghiwane, a band renowned in Africa for merging the repertoire of traditional Moroccan music with lyrics steeped in political and social injustices. It fuses urban hip-hop, street and breakdance styles of movement with contemporary and traditional North African dance. Transporting audiences to the streets of Morocco, new and old worlds collide, where seven male dancers explore what it means to be an individual in a community, complete with all its conflicts and contradictions.
The work, performed with extraordinary musicality and intense physical choreography, blends diverse dance styles in a fusion of rhythms and chiseled bodies. Näss has toured globally from Bulgaria to Germany, the United Kingdom, Norway, the United States, Morocco, Hong Kong and many more. Harbourfront Centre hosts its exclusive Canadian premiere for the 2023/24 season of Torque.
About Fouad Boussouf
A choreographer, dancer and teacher, Fouad Boussouf first studied hip-hop (his favourite technique) before developing an interest in other practices, notably contemporary dance. He seeks to blend contemporary and hip-hop dance into a specific core vocabulary, which remains the central tenet of his career.
His experience dancing with others and his complex journey have led him to a modern form of research in which hip-hop, contemporary, jazz, traditional dances of Africa and new circus combine into a diverse vocabulary for his creations. Layering styles, rhythms and different practices, his work is about sharing and transmitting emotions, relying on technical mastery, the unending expressivity of dance and our diverse blended culture.
Boussouf is also fully committed to the communication of dance, as a long-time passionate teacher, including projects which include amateur and up-and-coming dancers and professionals.
He is the Artistic Director of Le Phare – National Choreographic Center of Le Havre Normandie, where he is developing his project, Enchanting the Every Day, touring his repertory pieces locally and internationally and establishing important projects with amateur dancers in public spaces.
He has also created the event Plein Phare in Normandy, which includes twenty companies from all different sectors, start-ups or established, showing dance in its true diversity of shapes and aesthetics. In November 2022, during the first edition of Plein Phare, he premiered two duos, Âmes and Cordes. In September 2023, he will present Feu (Fire), his new work for eleven female dancers, at the prestigious Dance Biennale in Lyon.
Throughout his career, Boussouf has received several commissions and invitations to collaborate. Per Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui’s invitation, he will create a new work, Vïa, for the Ballet du Grand Théâtre in Geneva. Boussouf is also an Associated Artist at the Maison de la Musique in Nanterre, a nationally subsidized theatre.
Credits
Choreographer Fouad Boussouf Dancers Sami Blond, Mathieu Bord, Elie Tremblay, Yanice Djae, Ackciel Régent Gonzàlez, Justin Gouin, Maëlo Hernandez Assistant Choreographer Bruno Domingues Torres Lighting Designer Fabrice Sarcy Costumes, Scenography Camille Vallat Tour Manager Mathieu Morelle Master Control Room (alternately) Romain Perrillat-Collomb, Benoît Cherouvrier, Lucas Bacci Music Roman Bestion, Fouad Boussouf, Marion Castor
Current Production Le Phare – Centre chorégraphique national du Havre Normandie / direction Fouad Boussouf Coproduction Théâtre Jean Vilar – Vitry-sur-Seine / Le Prisme – Élancourt / Institut du Monde Arabe – Tourcoing / Fontenay-en- Scènes – Fontenay-sous-bois
Financial Support ADAMI / Conseil départemental du Val-de-Marne / Région Ile-de-France / Ville de Vitry- sur-Seine / SPEDIDAM / Institut Français of Morocco Support and Residencies La Briqueterie – CDCN du Val-de-Marne / Le POC d’Alfortville / Centre National de la Danse / Le FLOW – Pôle Culture Ville de Lille / Cirque Shems’y – Salé, Maroc / Royal Air MarocThéâtre des Bergeries – Noisy-le- Sec / La Briqueterie – CDCN du Val-de-Marne / Le FLOW – Pôle Culture Ville de Lille / Institut Français de Marrakech
Access Info
If you require wheelchair or accessible seating, please contact our Box Office ahead of time at tickets@harbourfrontcentre.com or phone (416) 973-4000, Option 1 – Wednesday–Friday from 1-5pm.
Dates & Times
October 26
7:30pm
60 mins
October 27
7:30pm
60 mins
October 28
7:30pm
60 mins
There will be no intermission for any performance.
There will be an opening reception following the performance on Thursday, October 26.
There will be a Q&A following the performance on Friday, October 27.
Venue
Fleck Dance Theatre in Queen's Quay Terminal
207 Queens Quay West, 3rd Floor
Follow signs and take escalator or elevator
*Conditions apply