Josette Baïz

For thirty years, Josette Baïz has been working with children and teenagers from diverse backgrounds, bringing them to the stage in works as generous as they are demanding. She continues to evolve through both own creations and collaborations with internationally renowned choreographers.

Trained by Odile Duboc, Baïz—then a dancer with Jean-Claude Gallotta—won First Prize at the 14th International Choreography Competition in Bagnolet, before founding her first company, La Place Blanche.

In 1989, when the French Ministry of Culture offered her a residency in a school in Marseille’s northern districts, she encountered new forms such as breakdance, hip-hop and world dances, which led her to fundamentally rethink her artistic approach. Groupe Grenade was thus formed with around thirty of these young dancers.

Together, they developed a unique and original language, the "Grenade Style," which blends entrechats with hip-hop sequences and dance traditions from around the world.

The success of their early productions encouraged Baïz to further refine her teaching, expanding dancers’ training to include a broader range of techniques, including classical ballet. As they come of age, some dancers gradually join the professional company, founded in 1998, while others continue their training in top schools and conservatories or go on to join other companies.