Le Bassin de Diana opens with a short film, before the three dancers take to the stage. This choice reflects my desire to create continuity between the cinematic world and the stage, a fluid dialogue between the image and the living body (…). The short film becomes a gateway, a sensory preparation that readies the audience for the choreographic experience. The video introduces the atmosphere, bodies and energies of the show, like a first pulse. Then the stage takes over, the dancers transform the image into matter, and the imaginary becomes flesh. This transition from cinema to dance highlights the power of visual and physical duality and anchors my approach: to offer viewers a total experience, where the eye and the body are guided by a sensory dramaturgy.— Carmel Loanga
Bounce & Groove
Hip-hop carries within it a unique pulse: the bounce. It is this inner bounce, this relaxation of the body that moves to the beat. An identity. A signature.
The Bounce connects the dancer to the music, the ground, and the energy of the street. It is the collective breath, the urban vibration. On the other hand, in African dances, there is the Groove of the pelvis. The pelvis pulses, becoming the heart. Sensations arise, emotions flow, and the beats rise up to the chest. It is a dance that is both masculine and feminine, a sensual language, a game of seduction, a memory of the body. Where Bounce embodies the identity of hip-hop, the Groove of the pelvis embodies the heritage, life and sensuality of traditions. Two different energies, but one and the same breath: the one that makes the body vibrate and connects beings.
Founded in 2018, the Carmel Loanga Company develops socially engaged dance at the crossroads of hip-hop and African cultures. It offers powerful, sensitive and poetic choreographic creations, designed as spaces for expression and liberation. The artistic direction makes it a point of honour to work with emerging talent, promoting young artists and female performers, with a particular focus on the uniqueness of each body.Dancer, choreographer and teacher, Carmel Loanga has collaborated with Marion Motin (In The Middle), Mathilde Monnier (Black Light) and Leïla Ka (Bouffées). She is an associate artist at Espace 1789 (Saint-Ouen) and the Auditorium de Seynod (Annecy), and has been supported by La Villette since 2018 through the IADU programme.
The company seeks to build a bridge between Africa and hip-hop through dance that is both raw and elegant, marked by groove and depth of expression. It aims to reach a wide, cross-generational audience by placing the body at the centre of the narrative. The company develops artistic activities in schools, hospitals and social settings to stimulate creativity, forge connections and democratise access to dance. It also offers a training programme (Character Performance Choreography) for future performers and gives regular classes at Laxstudio.
Residency outing: Thursday, October 29, 2026 at 7:30 PM at the BLOCK · CCNR.
→ Free upon reservation: adriana.falcone@ccnr.fr
+Carmel Loanga will offer a guided open training session on Wednesday, October 28, 2026 at 7 PM.
Choreographer: Carmel Loanga
Dancers: Élise Richards, Sophie Gerber, Thaïmee Kayleen Samut aka Twinn Zepek
Music: Adrien Kanter
Lighting: Romane Lavigne
Production: Charlotte Corre
Co-production: Espace 1789 – nationally recognised dance venue (Saint-Ouen), Le BLOCK · National Choreographic Centre of Rillieux-la-Pape, Scène National de Beauvais – Théâtre du Beauvaisis.. . (in progress)
With the support of Initiatives d’Artistes en Danses Urbaines (Fondation de France – La Villette) and the CDA d’Engheins-les-Bains.
The Carmel Loanga Company is supported by the department of Seine-Saint-Denis.
Premieres: 10, 12, 13 & 14 March 2026 at Espace 1789, Saint-Ouen
Photo © Alex Le Mouroux