Elles disent

Nach is known as a krumper, a practitioner of krumping, an urban dance style developed in Los Angeles in the early 1990s as an outlet for the frustrations of black youth. Meanwhile, this form of tough theatrical dance, supported by a circle of like-minded people, has spread across the world. Nach was already in her 20s when she learned about it after seeing the iconic film Rize.

Nach’s real name is Anne-Marie Van, who slowly - as befits a self-taught artist - opened up her language of movement in search of more internalisation and more femininity. A first solo, Nigra sum, pulchra es was written for her by Heddy Maalem. Afterwards, she discovered herself as an author and dancer of her own solos, feeding off multicultural encounters and influences, which she used to shape her work. Now she is taking the next step and writing for and with other female bodies. In Elles disent, her first group work, she is on stage with three other performers.

Elles disent asserts a powerful bond between four women performers who link their intimate strength to that of the group. Dancers from all walks of life take over the body as a siege of resistance and demand a social sharing of emotions and stories. While the body and cultural codes of krump form their rallying point, each one frees herself through a visceral and necessary dance, exulting each body part into a magnified movement one might compare to ritual gestures. Ultimately they meet and form a female plural.