Bianca Lee. “My dancers are my brushes. When I create choreography, I imagine that I have the tools of an artist in my hands.”

Always curious, Blanca Lee continues to push boundaries, making dance journeys in film, visual arts, fashion and music videos. Choreographer, dancer, director and director of exhibitions, between virtual dances and shows that mix hip-hop with modern dance, she is at the origin of many projects; “I like to create anything I put my mind to,” he said. Crowned with the Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale, member of the Academy of Fine Arts in the choreography section, the Madrid-based artist shares her latest favorites, highlighted in a carte blanche by Culturebox, broadcast on France Télévisions on April 4. And reveals his projects, the time of the interview.

In the video, Blanca Lee reinvents the ballet “The Nutcracker” in a hip-hop way

Madame Figaro. Was there a magical moment early in your career?
Bianca Lee.Of course. I wouldn’t be here if one day when I was 16, a stranger approached me on the street. I was walking the streets of Seville and he changed my life. He was a writer-torero to whom I instinctively told my dream of becoming a dancer and going to New York to study. Without asking for anything in return, she bought me a one-way plane ticket and walked me to the front door of the dance studio of Martha Graham, my idol who became my teacher. I was very lucky. I was raised to believe that I could choose my life and believe in my dreams. A large part of my existence today is dedicated to discovering the talent of young artists in whom I strongly believe.

Three of your works are on a world tour. Paris ball , Nutcracker and a hip-hop version of opera Dido and Aeneas . How did you choose your dancers?
My dancers are my brushes. When I create a choreography, I imagine that I have the artist’s tools in my hands. At the beginning, movements are born like sketches on paper, traces of compasses. What I like about a dancer is his ability to get away from technique, even though it is necessary, and his ability to express all the arts through emotion. For example, in Dido and Aeneas, staged with the musicians of Les Arts Florissants, the bodies move as if they were musical instruments and move forward like an orchestra. In Nutcrackerwhich is Tchaikovsky’s classic ballet in the collective imagination, they evolve by injecting urban and hip-hop imagery into our modern world. ball of paris at the same time, it involves the audience becoming the protagonists of an immersive virtual reality show. I like to take risks. The dancers I chose all have one thing in common: they are imbued with compassion and a vital energy that they want to share with the world.

For your carte blanche of the show Culture box , on France Télévisions, you present dancer and choreographer Nelson, one of the new stars of your company. What attracts you to him?
Nelson is one of eight dancers Nutcracker, which I revise through current dance codes. He is one of the world stars exploding, a dance originating from the United States, composed of incredibly fluid waves and disintegrating movements, as if propelled by visual energy. Nelson, who is from Vitry on stage, has had an extraordinary career. He started as an autodidact and after winning international competitions, he entered the stages of the biggest theaters. I integrated him into my company and he is currently on a world tour Nutcracker.

Among your music favorites at Culturebox you discover the talent of the very interesting Corsican singer and musician Alexandre Diani, who released his first single, Not the same , in April. How did you discover his duet, Nepita?
I heard of him through Caroline de Maigre, who wears many hats; she is a Chanel model and ambassador, but also a music producer and musician, always looking for talent that makes creativity vibrate. Alexander Diani’s music is in line with our times. It’s Zola, driven by social networks, who writes very beautiful lyrics and sings with a voice unlike any other. His music reminds me of this disco that shone like a black sun in the nightclubs of New York in the 80s, but he is young and gives it a modern electronica and colors with a French touch. I am interested in his universe and aesthetic language, and I would like to make a video with him.

Which of your projects aim to discover young talent and stimulate creativity?
I am taking on a new role, taking care of the artistic direction of the place of creation, which will open its doors next September in the company’s studios in Romainville, within the framework of the Fiminco Foundation. This is a new artistic lung in Paris, the main objective of which is to offer artists a privileged environment for their research around creativity. I will invite artists: choreographers, dancers, musicians, theater directors and creators who work in new technologies and virtual reality. This is a kind of live performance of Irkam. We are going to organize shows and find new languages ​​together. Among my projects, I also have a piece with the rapper Abd al Malik at the Paris Philharmonic (April 14, 2024) and I am preparing a piece with the composer Edith Canat de Chizy that will stage the body, the voice and the technologies of our age;

In the video, “The Repetition”, the campaign signed Bianca Li for Louboutin