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| Kader Attou | |
|---|---|
| Name | Kader Attou |
| Birth date | 18 April 1971 |
| Birth place | Lyon, France |
| Nationality | French |
| Occupation | Choreographer, dancer |
| Years active | 1990s–present |
| Notable works | "Correria", "Sans Titre", "D’ici là" |
| Awards | Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, Laurence Olivier Award nomination |
Kader Attou Kader Attou is a French choreographer and dancer noted for pioneering contemporary hip-hop choreography and institutionalizing urban dance within European cultural institutions. He has created numerous company works, led national theatres, collaborated with visual artists and musicians, and influenced generations of performers from street dance circuits to national companies.
Attou was born in Lyon and raised in the Villeurbanne and Vaulx-en-Velin neighborhoods, where influences included migrant communities, local associations and municipal cultural centers. He trained initially in street forms at associations and clubs while encountering figures from the French hip hop movement, B-boying crews, and local arts centers. During his formative years he interacted with institutions such as the Centre Chorégraphique National de Grenoble, the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Lyon, and municipal cultural programs that connected him to teachers from the Maison de la Danse de Lyon and to regional networks including the Fédération Française de Danse.
Attou’s training combined street dance, classical contemporary techniques, and global vernacular forms; he studied with b-boys from the international breaking community, exchange artists from New York City crews, and European contemporary choreographers linked to the Comédie-Française circuits. He drew influence from choreographers and companies such as Pina Bausch, Maurice Béjart, William Forsythe, Twyla Tharp, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and collective approaches found in Compagnie Käfig and Compagnie Accrorap. Music and theatrical collaborators included figures from the Paris music scene, cross-disciplinary artists associated with the Maison des Arts de Créteil and the Festival d'Avignon, while pedagogical exchange occurred with institutions like the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts et Techniques du Théâtre and the Centre National de la Danse.
Attou founded his company in the 1990s and premiered landmark pieces that bridged urban dance and contemporary choreography, such as "Correria", "Sans Titre", "D’ici là" and "Parade". He presented works at major venues and festivals including the Théâtre du Châtelet, Théâtre National de Chaillot, Opéra national de Paris, Sadler's Wells Theatre, La Biennale de Lyon, Festival d'Avignon, Festival d'Automne à Paris, Edinburgh Festival Fringe and the Venice Biennale. Collaborations extended to musicians and composers associated with John Zorn, Arvo Pärt, Nino Rota, and contemporary ensembles tied to the IRCAM network. He worked with designers and visual artists affiliated with the Centre Pompidou and choreographic residencies at the Fondation Cartier and the Théâtre de la Ville.
Appointed as a choreographic leader at the Théâtre National de Chaillot, Attou engaged with national programming, commissioning, and education initiatives linked to the Ministry of Culture (France), regional theatres such as the Théâtre National de Strasbourg and touring frameworks of the Association Française d'Action Artistique. He curated seasons and exchanges involving companies like Batsheva Dance Company, Hofesh Shechter Company, Cunningham Dance Foundation, Ballet National de Marseille, and international presenters including Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre and Lincoln Center. Under his leadership Chaillot hosted workshops in partnership with institutions such as the Conservatoire de Paris and networks like the European Dancehouse Network.
Attou’s choreography synthesizes urban dance vocabularies—breaking, locking, popping—with contemporary techniques drawn from modern dance, postmodern dance and the exchange traditions of companies like Merce Cunningham Dance Company and Pina Bausch Tanztheater Wuppertal. His work often interrogates identity, migration, belonging and urban life through theatrical devices used by figures such as Robert Wilson, dramaturgs from the Comédie-Française, and multimedia practices cultivated at the Théâtre de la Ville. He incorporates music spanning hip hop, jazz, contemporary composition and electronic music scenes tied to labels and institutions like Cité de la Musique and IRCAM, while collaborating with costume and set designers associated with the Palais Garnier and contemporary galleries.
Attou has received distinctions including appointments within the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and nominations and awards from organizations such as the Laurence Olivier Awards, the Victoire de la Musique crossover recognitions, national cultural prizes from the Ministry of Culture (France), and fellowships connected to the Fondation Royaumont. His company has been invited to prize juries and international festivals including the Festival d'Avignon, La Biennale de Lyon, ImPulsTanz Vienna International Dance Festival and the Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival.
Attou is credited with legitimizing urban and street dance within institutional contemporary dance circuits across Europe and fostering pedagogy through residencies at conservatories and community outreach in cities from Lyon to Marseille, Bordeaux, Lille and international hubs such as New York City, London, Berlin and Tokyo. His influence is seen in companies and choreographers who merge hip-hop with contemporary practices, in educational programs at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris and in festival programming at venues such as Théâtre du Châtelet and Théâtre National de Chaillot. He has played a role in cross-cultural collaborations involving institutions like the Institut Français and networks including the Europeana initiatives, contributing to the globalization of urban dance vocabularies within the contemporary performing arts.
Category:French choreographers Category:Contemporary dancers Category:People from Lyon