STICKY FEET. BALLET HOUSE with Joseph Simon

🩰 Sticky Feet and Ballet House are two open-minded approaches to ballet, born out of a curiosity about how classical ballet technique and structure might engage with the philosophy of house dance and hip-hop culture.

These practices were developed by dance artist Joseph Simon in collaboration with other creators. They blend the lines and aesthetics of classical ballet with a groove-oriented mindset—a freer physical expression and a posture shaped by jazz and African American cultural forms. It is a search for alternatives while maintaining respect for the cultures from which they originate.

The workshop is based on the idea that clear structure and creative freedom can coexist, manifesting in a single body. Participants are invited to maintain the precision and physical clarity of ballet in certain parts of the body, while allowing groove, freedom, and personal style to unfold in others.

Participants in the workshop can expect exercises, tasks, and short choreographies; we will draw on a freely interpreted structure of a ballet class—plié, tendu, tourner, and sauté—reimagined through the lens of rhythm, sensation, and individual expression.

ABOUT JOSEPH SIMON

Joseph Simon (b. 1989, France) is a freelance dance artist based in Rotterdam. He is active internationally as a performer, choreographer, educator, and collaborator.

Having grown up in different parts of the world, Joseph has developed a broad intercultural worldview that is reflected in his artistic practice. He first encountered dance through breakdance culture, and today he explores the intersections of ballet, house, and contemporary dance, seeking dialogue between different techniques and philosophies.

After graduating from the ArtEZ dance school in the Netherlands in 2014, he began actively creating and collaborating with various artists, including Oona Doherty, Jonas Frey, Erik Kaiel, Tu Hoang, Hooman Sharifi, Alida Dors, Jochen Heckmann, Dalton Jansen, and Christina Liakopoulou. While working with Dansateliers Rotterdam, Joseph continued to develop his choreographic practice and toured with his works.

He also regularly teaches circus arts at Codarts University in Rotterdam and leads open lectures and workshops at other European dance institutes.

His works have been presented at international festivals—Actoral, Artdanthé (France), B Motion (Italy), and Dance Limerick (Ireland)—as well as in the Netherlands at festivals such as Moving Futures, Nederlandse Dansdagen, North Sea Around Town, and Summer Dance Forever.