HIP-HOP STAGE
ARNAUD DEPREZ · The Cult of the Freeze
MOUNIA NASSANGAR · S.T.U.C.K
Est. 1h20
Two hip-hop creations decipher the messages and transformations of the body, through the prism of two historic movements: breakdance and waacking.
ARNAUD DEPREZ · The Cult of the Freeze
The choreographer Arnaud Deprez has conceived a unique piece which he is performing along with Pacôme Presence and Alicia Anaïs Fuentes Sifuentes. By exploring the technique of the freeze,
a pause in the typical movements of breakdancing, the trio imbues it with notions of sacred geometry. In pursuit of absolute perfection, his placements are meticulously calculated, traced, and organised using esoteric, golden tools: a compass, a square, and a ruler. The Cult of the Freeze searches for the deep connection between the human body, the universe, and geometry to the live beat of Linky Larson, whose hertz frequency is aligned with the Earth’s.
Practicing underground Bboying since the age of 12, Arnaud Deprez – Bboy Fenix (Joyeux Loufock) quickly reached the high level of competition. At 15, he began performing street shows seriously, driven by a goal to travel to the United States, challenge the best, and perfect his training. This led to a career of battles around the world, a life dedicated to discovering new moves and effects—physical, musical, and visual.
Over the years, creating, shedding his armor, and expressing himself within a company became a natural progression. In 2015, he began dancing and choreographing with the Mouvmatik Company (Physs). There, he developed his first solo creation, Process, in 2017—a piece of technical and spiritual exploration. It marked his departure from the battle arena to draw the contours of intimacy. The piece reflects his deep need to express feelings of disconnection and his desire for liberation through dance and its writing processes.
After working with the Käfig Company, he continued refining his hip-hop and breaking choreography techniques. Alongside Philippe Almeida, they produced Substance and Insight Data, envisioned as digital experiences blending hip-hop dance with digital artistic installations.
In 2020, he produced Passages, a choreographic EP in a composite form presented experimentally as five short films. These five tableaux trace a journey from introspection to emancipation through the discovery of a personal choreographic language.
Arnaud’s determination, battle experience, choreographic skills, and artistic entrepreneurship now fuel his vision for his own company, Compagnie Allongé.
MOUNIA NASSANGAR · S.T.U.C.K
In her first piece as a choreographer, international waacking star Mounia Nassangar explores dance’s ability to take over when words fail, when they stay stuck. This quest alludes to the history of waacking, a dance of urgency and an expression born out of oppression, of which the five performers on stage each provide their own version to reflect their different bodies and histories. They reveal this culture from a subjective and sensitive angle.
Mounia Nassangar discovered waacking and voguing in 2007, the year she joined the Parisian Ballroom scene by becoming a member of the iconic House of Mizrahi (2014), now the House of Gorgeous Gucci, where she specializes in runway. At the same time, she practiced waacking as an amateur for six years before mastering it and winning several national and international battles.
While training in academic dances, she co-founded the waacking collective Ma Dame Paris in 2016 with Josepha Madoki and Sonia Bel Hadj Brahim. Together, they developed shows, battles, videos, and styling projects. Since 2017, she has organized events to promote waacking culture and, in 2022, founded the association Waack in Paris.
Among her numerous collaborations in the art world (Alune Wade, Marine Bercot, Gaspar Noé, Aya Nakamura, Kelela), she has performed as a dancer and model in Jean-Paul Gaultier’s Fashion Freak Show and as an interpreter in Earthbound by Johanna Faye and Saïdo Lehlouh.
With the support of
ARNAUD DEPREZ – THE CULT OF FREEZE
Production Cie Allongé Co-production Initiatives d’Artistes en Danses Urbaines (Fondation de France – La Villette) With the support of the Ministry of Culture DRAC Île-de-France, National Choreographic Center of Orléans, La Place – Hip-Hop Cultural Center, Marie-France Meunier Cultural Center, L’Essieu du Batut, the Rodin Museum, Overhandz Club
MOUNIA NASSANGAR – S.T.U.C.K
Creation Cie Nassangar Delegated production Collectif FAIR-E / CCN of Rennes and Brittany, an association subsidized by the Ministry of Culture (Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs / Brittany), the City of Rennes, the Brittany Region, and the Ille-et-Vilaine Departmental Council Co-production CCN-National Ballet of Marseille as part of the Studio Reception / Ministry of Culture, Initiatives d’Artistes en Danses Urbaines (Fondation de France – La Villette), La Place – Paris With the support of the City of Rennes as part of the Residency Assistance program Project selected for Danse Élargie 2024
Practical information
Grande Halle
Metro
Line 5 - Porte de Pantin station
Tramway
Line 3b - Porte de Pantin station
Bus
Bus 75, 151 - Porte de Pantin stop
Parking
Q-Park
Philharmonie
Q-Park
Cité de la Musique - La Villette
Q-Park
Cité de la Musique - Conservatoire
Parking
Cité des Sciences
- This venue is accessible to people with reduced mobility (PRM). Please contact 01 40 03 75 75.
- Accessible to deaf individuals.
- The Boris Vian Hall is a certified accessible “Tourism et Handicap” site.
- For this show, the cultural and artistic education service at La Villette collaborates with many schools and social organizations. Please note that a large number of young people can attend certain performances.
- Light food and refreshments available on-site before the show in the Grande Halle.
- Several dining options available in the park before or after the show, discover them HERE.
