Johanna Faye

When conventional language is no longer enough, the body—imbued with meaning—becomes a vehicle for stories and for creating dialogue among the protagonists. Finding common ground through movement. This is one of the central concerns that runs through Johanna Faye’s creative practice. A conversation rooted in the choreographer’s diverse sources of inspiration, where the importance of the relationship to the ground—drawn from her background as a b-girl—coexists with the verticality and sensitive approach of contemporary dance.
Johanna Faye is committed to reviving this nonverbal language as a means of refocusing our attention on what human beings are by instinct. In the context of a duo, this is first evident in Iskio (2015), her first choreographic work written and performed in partnership with Saïdo Lehlouh, where otherness serves as a point of support for the individual. Moving from the duo to the group, the two members of the Black Sheep company take this step in Fact (2017), a second work for seven performers in which the environment—both human and material—leads the moving figures to redraw the contours of their interactions.
Ultimately, it is in the “magic number” represented by the trio that Johanna Faye finds the narrative balance for her debut solo piece. Literally meaning “far inside” or “far from” in Portuguese, Afastado Em (2018) traces the intertwined journeys of three dancers with diverse styles, ranging from flamenco to krump to contemporary dance. In a slow, back-and-forth rhythm, the piece unfolds as an introspective exploration of the characters through outward movement, like two acts of a single contemplative breath.
In 2021, Johanna Faye and Saïdo Lehlouh created Earthbound, a choreography that celebrates the diversity of a rebellious, underground hip-hop scene, while questioning the conventions of stage performance. Born out of a collaboration with clarinetist Guillaume Humery, jazz pianist Léo Jassef, and dancer-jiujitsuka Julien Fouché, Inner (2022) is a moment of shared expression that allows the body and music to resonate spontaneously.