'Danser Casa': French dance masters bring hip-hop-inspired show to Abu Dhabi

The performance will be full of dance duels and acrobatic displays

'Danser Casa' is created by French hip-hop dance pioneers Mourad Merzouki and Kader Attou. Courtesy of NYU Abu Dhabi

French hip-hop dance pioneers Mourad Merzouki and Kader Attou’s latest show will close the NYU Abu Dhabi Arts Centre season this month.

Titled Danser Casa, the duo choreographed a piece featuring eight dancers exploring hip-hop and the early roots of street dancing.

Merzouki, whose parents hail from Morocco, is no stranger to the NYU Abu Dhabi stage, having brought his brilliantly minimalistic production Pixel to the arts centre last year.

Attou, of Algerian roots, is a big name in his own right. As well as being the artistic director of French dance troupe the Accrorap Company, he has performed in various countries in Europe, Palestine, Brazil, Algeria and Cuba.

With Danser Casa set in Casablanca, the piece aims to express the social tensions in the city through its dynamic routines, which feature intense dance duels and acrobatic displays.

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“The hip-hop dance scene in France that Mourad Merzouki and Kader Attou pioneered has flourished with work at the highest level of artistry,” said NYU Abu Dhabi Arts Centre artistic director Bill Bragin.

“The hip-hop scene in Morocco, and throughout the Arab world, has been blossoming in recent years. This show, extending a rich collaboration between the UAE and France around arts and culture, is a perfect high note on which to end our season.”

Danser Casa will be performed at The Red Theatre, NYU Abu Dhabi Arts Centre on April 29. Free entry. For details go to www.nyuad-artscenter.org