Bal Brut is the name for a collection of dance performances disguised as a party, built by and with the city. Initiated by choreographer Andrew Graham, this participatory project invites people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities to discover the joy of touch.

From 2023 until 2025, we have organised different editions in different cities, shaping a protocol that results under the name of Bal Brut.

The project begins with an outreach week, during which Andrew leads workshops around the city: in homes for the elderly, shelters for refugees or homeless people, day centers for the disabled... Participants are then invited into the creation week in a studio/dancehall where they collectively devise short choreographic sequences that become building blocks for the ball. Daily workshops with local dance specialists open new fields of exploration and gives inspiration: tango, lindy hop, dabke, ... The aim is to reinvent new dances that explore touch.

The process culminates in a three-hour dance celebration where choreography gives way to improvisation, performers become participants, and spectators are invited onto the dance floor. No one is watching, everyone is participating. Some come equipped with a concrete idea or structure, others just go with the flow along unexpected, surprising dance adventures. Experience is never a prerequisite. Bal Brut embraces Andrew Graham's philosophy of mixability: the belief that people with different bodies, abilities and life experiences create richer, more vibrant encounters when they dance together.