The world-class hip-hop performance "The Roots" will be staged in Vietnam.

First performed in 2013 in La Rochelle, France, the hip-hop dance show The Roots immediately became a sensation in France and many cities and countries around the world. The prestigious French newspaper, Le Monde, praised the performance effusively: “The vitality of The Roots, a performance with 11 dancers choreographed by Kader Attou, explodes with energy like a can of soda being shaken vigorously. Hot, flowing, and constantly surging, the performance transforms the stage into a spectacular scene of powerful, unending geysers.”

Vibrant yet deeply poetic, The Roots transports the audience into a space filled with nostalgia. A world of childhood memories of 10-year-old Kader is recreated through an old gramophone, time-worn vinyl records, and a worn-out armchair… This boy, from a poor working-class neighborhood on the outskirts of Lyon, fell in love with hip hop, and despite having practiced and loved martial arts and circus arts, ultimately decided to dedicate his life to it.

Born in 1974 in the suburbs of Lyon to an Algerian immigrant family, Kader Attou is currently the Director of the National Dance Center in La Rochelle, succeeding the legendary choreographer Régine Chopinot, who has inspired generations of Vietnamese dancers. As the first hip-hop choreographer in French history to be appointed director of a National Dance Center, Kader is above all renowned as a veteran choreographer in the French hip-hop scene and one of the very few choreographers in the world who has brought street hip-hop to prestigious theaters. “Kader is a magician. He leads us to the unexpected… through his hands, (the dancers) can truly unleash their potential and shine,” Soria Rem said in an interview with France Télévisions.

Indeed, the "versatile" ability of "the wizard" Kader Attou has been firmly established through dozens of successful performances. Kader uses hip-hop as a bridge to build connections and dialogues with many different art forms, dialogues within diversity. If Anhoka is a subtle blend of hip-hop and traditional Indian dance, Petites histoires.com is a mix of circus art and hip-hop, Opus 14 is a marriage of hip-hop and ballet, then "The Roots" is "a magnificent epic of hip-hop art spanning 30 years..."

“The Roots portrays the art of hip-hop through masterful techniques and the poetic quality emanating from the dancing bodies…” – Kader revealed. Choreographer Kader Attou celebrates The Roots with the talent and masterful technique of eleven dancers. A deeply human adventure, The Roots connects the stories of each individual, each dancer with their own unique personality. Music also plays a crucial role in The Roots, as inspiration and a response from the dancers. Brahms, Glazunov, and electro music together open the door connecting the audience to the world of dance. In The Roots, the audience will enjoy a story of interwoven popular cultures and memories. A story of origins.

The Roots has been performed on major and prestigious stages throughout France and around the world, including the USA, Israel, Italy, Finland, the Czech Republic, Belarus, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, and Norway. In Vietnam, The Roots will be performed on April 10th at the Grand Theatre (Ho Chi Minh City) and on April 13th at the Youth Theatre (Hanoi), as part of the Krossing Over Arts Festival 2019.

Additional information:

As part of Krossing Over Arts 2019, the French Institute in Vietnam proudly presents the hip-hop dance piece "The Roots" by French choreographer Kader Attou:

- Time: 8 PM, Wednesday, April 10, 2019

- Location: Ho Chi Minh City Opera House – 7 Cong Truong Lam Son Street, District 1

- Ticket prices: 100,000 VND - 150,000 VND - 350,000 VND - 550,000 VND - 1,000,000 VND

- Tickets are sold at:https://bit.ly/2OE7N5B

The program also took place in Hanoi on April 13, 2019.

The Anh