COMPAGNIE LA BARAKA: ABOU LAGRAA
COMPANY HISTORY
COMPAGNIE LA BARAKA ABOU LAGRAA was founded in 1997 by Abou Lagraa in Annonay, France. In 1998, his Company made its debut with Lagraa’s solo “Les 2” at the Maison de la Danse de Lyon, and then with “Violatus” at the 1998 Biennale de la Danse de Lyon. Lagraa’s other works for his Company include “Kraft,” the hip-hop trio “Passage,” “Nuit Blanche” and “Allegoria Stanza,” a production for ten contemporary and hip-hop dancers. In September 2003, La Baraka began a three-year choreographic residency in Annecy. Lagraa’s most recent work is 2004’s “Cutting Flat,” a dance for ten performers.

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR BIOGRAPHY
ABOU LAGRAA (Artistic Director) Born in 1970 in Lyon, France, Abou Lagraa began studying dance at the age of 16. After training at the National Conservatory in Lyon, he became a member of Rui Horta’s company in Frankfurt, and briefly served as his choreographic assistant at the Gulbenkian Ballet in Lisbon. Lagraa performed with Robert Pool, Denis Plassard and Lionel Hoche and choreographed works for the street dance company Culture Street in Valence before creating dances for his own Company. Recent television projects include films of “Passage” and “Allegoria Stanza” produced by Arte and France Télévision.