Ismaël Mouaraki

Of French-Moroccan origin, Ismaël Mouaraki first encountered urban dance in his hometown of Nancy, France, when he was twelve. He explored contemporary choreography in depth after meeting Xavier Lot when the choreographer was in residence at the André Malraux Cultural Centre (National Stage of Vandoeuvre), and performed in his works for over three years. That mentoring helped him to pursue his own particular style of dance. In 2003 he founded the dance company Destins Croisés, creating works that reflect his obsession with portraying the infinite facets of humanity through physical movement and gesture. From myriad perspectives, he explores perceptions of control, domination, and how the individual is perceived in the group through dance.

The ideas that lie at the heart of Mouaraki’s Destins Croisés (“intertwined destinies” or “fates” in French) are embodied in its name. Choreographer and dancer Ismaël Mouaraki’s Montreal-based company Destins Croisés informs his highly personal take on dance with elements of a diverse contemporary urban culture, including slam, circus, video, theater, to create choreographic frescoes that question the individual, society, and their social and cultural issues arts in choreographic frescoes that question the individual and society and reflect urgent social and cultural issues.