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Black-and-white portrait of Mehdi Diouri, smiling, facing the camera, in a dark T-shirt against a light wall.
Photo : Sonia BLIN

Mehdi Diouri

The perfect fusion of hip-hop’s rigorous technique and the raw emotion of encounters.

Artistic Director & Choreographer

Choreographic works

  1. 2017MehDiaChoreographic work of the company of the same name
  2. 2018Café-Floor
  3. 2020The Floor
  4. 2021MeríDio
  5. 2023Dance lectureOn Parle, On Danse... On Vit Hip Hop (We Talk, We Dance... We Live Hip Hop)
  6. 2024Art’GentiK

Mehdi Diouri immersed himself in the vibrant world of hip-hop dance at the dawn of the new millennium, on the streets of his home town of Chalon-sur-Saône, where he shaped the first sketches of his art. His path led him to the TAKA MOUV’ choreographic centre in Lyon, where he trained alongside the renowned ELECTRIC BOOGALOO, awakening his creative talent.

A rising star of hip-hop, Mehdi soon discovered a passion for the big stage events, testing himself against emerging talent at the Battle Of the Year, before being swept up by his meeting with the TSN company, with which he began a fruitful collaboration, shaping their shared work from 2005 to 2014.

Mehdi Diouri in three-quarter view, looking right, grey hood and striped jersey, in front of a perforated wall.
Photo : Tony Noël
2006

In 2006, he set out on a cross-cultural adventure under the auspices of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, bringing his art to cities from Beijing to Shanghai and breathing new life into the ancestral alleys of dance.

Like an urban explorer, Mehdi travelled to the distant Rumble Art Center in Chicago, a sacred temple of hip-hop culture, drawing inspiration and energy over a year of total immersion and enriching his artistic palette.

In his constant search for new artistic horizons, he embarked on exceptional collaborations, crossing paths with contemporary choreographer Laure BONICEL, the visionaries Lambert WILSON and Lies PAUWELS, sociologist Hugues BAZIN, and the masterful QUATUOR-LEONIS.

2012

In 2012, the time came for Mehdi to forge his own artistic path, founding Compagnie MehDia. He created his first work “MehDia”, which already revealed his sensitivity to encounter and human bonds. Since then, his works have followed one another like living frescoes, bearing witness to his artistic development.

Black-and-white shot of a dancer lying on a sofa, crossed arms raised in front of his face.
Portrait of Mehdi DIOURI, 29 January 2021 · Photo : Benoîte FANTON
2021

In 2021, with "MeríDio", he celebrated femininity in hip-hop dance, bringing together five female dancers of diverse origins in an ode to diversity and women’s strength.

Today

Today, with "ART’GENTIK", Mehdi sets out to capture the very essence of photography and its history through the universal language of dance.

Alongside this, his boundless talent flourishes in many collaborations: working with stage director Clothilde Rullaud to bring "XXY" to life, and lending his expertise to the Centre Chorégraphique National de Créteil from 2013 to 2023, where he helped elevate the works of Compagnie Käfig under the direction of Mourad MERZOUKI.

Mehdi Diouri embodies the perfect fusion of hip-hop’s rigorous technique and the raw emotion of his performance, moving with virtuosity between the lines of dance and the emotions of the soul.

On video

Press and profiles