Mounia Nassangar

A leading figure in the world of whacking in France and internationally, Mounia Nassangar is a choreographer, dancer, actress, model, DJ, event producer, and director of her own dance company. Having danced since the age of 5, she explored popping, locking, new style, house dance, dancehall, and street jazz before specializing in whacking*.

In 2018, Mounia came to the attention of the general public thanks to Jean-Paul Gaultier’s touching *Fashion Freak Show* at the Folies Bergère and Gaspar Noé’s film *Climax*, which won an award at the Directors’ Fortnight during the 2018 Cannes Film Festival. In 2019, she created *Oui, et vous ?*, a Whacking piece with the Ma Dame Paris collective (founded by Sonia Bel Hadj Brahim, Josepha Madoki, and Mounia Nassangar). At the same time, she joined the Black Sheep dance company.

In 2022, she choreographed Aya Nakamura’s music video for “SMS,” in which she also appears, and served as movement director for Kelela. In 2023, she can be seen dancing in Travis Scott’s music video for “MODERN JAM.” As an event producer, she organizes the Waack in Paris festival at the Gaîté Lyrique and the Carreau du Temple, as well as during Nuit Blanche Paris and Defected Croatia.

She also served as an assistant choreographer on Lancôme’s “Idôle” campaign and has collaborated with brands such as Tommy Jeans (on social media) and Jaeger-Le Coultre (for the “Master” campaign). As a model, Mounia Nassangar has starred in campaigns for Evian x Balmain, Jean Paul Gaultier’s “Scandal,” and MAC Cosmetics.

She is the face of Erborian, for which she serves as one of the brand ambassadors, and has modeled for designer Burc Akyol.

In 2023, she founded her own dance company, Cie Nassangar, where she created STUCK.

Donnia Ghezlaine-Lala, author and journalist

(*) Original spelling of “waacking.”