“Family is essential for me. It has nourished every stage of my life, from the most painful to the most joyful. In fact my father acts as conceptual assistant for the choreographies of Zemmourballet, the company I formed two years ago. But dance never used to be among my projects at all. I shone at school and, on the face of it, should have prepared for a prestigious grande école degree. But then I discovered dance, as taught by Sébastien Oliveros at a Maison Pour Tous in Marseille. I made a radical gear change and headed off to the Conservatoire in Avignon – at the age of 18, which is a very late start for a dancer.”
Beyond time
“Hard work did the rest, and I got my diploma in 2008. Then I continued training at the Folkwang Hochschule Essen to learn Pina Bausch’s dance philosophy and technique under Dominique Mercy. A real shock, it changed forever the way I approach contemporary dance. After that experience I joined Ballet Preljocaj in 2009, while still dancing with the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow for a year and a half.” So it was not until 2013 that Nicolas started creating his own pieces and fulfilling his passion for choreography – which he also now teaches, at the Conservatoire in Avignon. Zemmourballet staged its first creation, La brisure des vases, in June 2017, in collaboration with Les Théâtres de la Ville in Luxembourg. “Now my company is taking off, but I have to admit that, to reach our cruising altitude, which I hope will be international, patrons and partners to support our new creation, La danse des visages, would be very welcome.” Note taken!
Par Louis Badie
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