The Roots will be performed by 11 male hip-hop artists at Việt Nam Youth Theatre on April 13. — Photo courtesy of the organiser

HÀ NỘI — Hip-hop dance The Roots will be performed at Việt Nam Youth Theatre to kick off the Krossing Over Arts Festival in Hà Nội today.

Directed by choreographer Kader Attou, the 90-minute dance aims to lead the audience into a space full of nostalgia.

“The performance is inspired by many art genres such as contemporary dance, circus, comedy and cinema,” said Attou. “My idea is to bring the audience to a dream and a journey to discover the most beautiful things of hip hop art”.

The Roots will feature 11 male dancers recreating the childhood memories of a 10-year-old Attou through an old record player, records and an old armchair.

The boy from the French town of Lyon fell in love with hip hop, as well as circus acts and martial arts. 

Launched in 2013, The Roots has been performed in France and in the US, Israel, Italy, Finland, Germany and Switzerland. 

“Pure bomb! Pure hip hop! The vitality of The Roots, choreographed by Kader Attou for 11 men, explodes in the face like a can of soda too shaken. Hot in front, it flows, it bubbles and it does not stop, turning the plateau into a landscape of geysers constantly active,” reported French newspaper Le Monde.

Born in 1974, Attou is currently the Director of La Rochelle National Dance Art Centre. He is the first hip hop choreographer in French history to be appointed director of a National Dance Centre.

He is most famous as one of the few hip hop choreographers in the world to have brought street hip hop to prestigious academic theatres.

The Roots was performed on April 11 under the framework of the festival in HCM City. “The show in HCM is a very wonderful moment. Many people came to watch the show,” said Attou. “They discovered the richness that hip hop art can bring. The audience was very happy and touched. That makes the artists very happy”.

The festival will run in Hà Nội till April 21. It is organised by the France-based Kerman Dance Company and French Institute in Việt Nam. — VNS