Nacera Belaza

Nacera Belaza was born near Médéa in Algeria and has livedv in France since the age of five. After studying modern literature, she set up her own company in 1989. She became a self-taught dancer, driven by the vital need to express herself and unravel the complexity of her dual cultural background. It was during childhood and adolescence, in secret, that her language emerged spontaneously, drawing material first from herself and then from literature. Since then, her work has explored movement in a serene, deep and continuous breath, confronting patience, discipline and simplicity with the ‘deafening din of our lives’, giving gesture its existential utility.

In 2015, she was made a Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, and in 2024 an Officier. In 2008, Le Cri received the Prix de la révélation from the Syndicat de la Critique. In 2017, the SACD also paid tribute to her career by awarding her the Choreographer Prize. Her work is regularly performed in Europe, Africa, Asia and North America. She has set up a cooperative in Algeria that enables her to work regularly with the country of her origins.