©Charlie Prince.
Photo: Sebastian Bauer
Charlie Prince is a Lebanese performer and choreographer. Holding a degree in Music from McGill University, his choreographic work has toured internationally renowned festivals such as SPRING Festival (NL), Dansmakers (NL), International Choreographic Meetings of Seine-Saint-Denis (FR), Oktoberdans (NO), and BIPOD (LB). This year, he will be part of BIPOD 2024, a key event on the contemporary dance scene, which will light up the stages of Beirut from April 16 to 24.
In 2018, Charlie Prince received the Boghossian Foundation Award for Excellence in Dance and Performance, awarded by the Villa Empain in Brussels. Endowed with a rare sensitivity, in search of movement, emotion and danced words, Charlie Prince took his first steps toward dance while studying classical music at the Montreal Conservatory, as he pursued composition and conducting courses included in the curriculum. "In this practice, I discovered the deep ability of the body to communicate music, poetry, and emotion... and in this specific case, to share it with another group of musicians," he recounts. The poetic, even philosophical vision of this body on stage haunted the artist. "I was fascinated, even obsessed with the silent body that could, through the magic of gesture, create sound, energy, a vast and cosmic texture," he continues. Thus, the desire took him to take a dance class. He was 18. Since then, everything has continued at a frenetic pace.
Regarding the dance genres he has practiced, he traces his dance journey: "I started training in classical ballet during the first three years of my dance journey. However, I quickly realized that the world of ballet did not appeal to me in an aesthetic, ethical and artistic sense. I never felt at home there. I was looking for the possibility of a deeper expression, of freedom, chaos, and unpredictability. I wanted to reflect the world around me. This led me to explore improvisational practices and quickly propelled me into the vast world of contemporary dance. I worked with choreographers like Omar Rajeh and Benoit Lachambre who transformed the way I perceive the potential of my body in motion in space and, in doing so, the power of my body in this world." Enthusiastic about being part of the BIPOD 2024 lineup for its 20th anniversary, Charlie Prince shares his feelings: "From the beginning of my professional dance career, BIPOD has always been my reference and my home. Omar Rajeh and Mia Habis have never failed to put together a committed and visionary program, offering the Beirut public the opportunity to attend avant-garde and high-quality contemporary dance performances from around the world, while providing young Lebanese artists significant opportunities to share their work and exchange with international presenters and programmers. This year's edition will be special, as BIPOD is celebrating its 20th anniversary. It's an honor to perform at home, in Beirut, and share my solo, The Body Symphonic, which crosses the idea of a concert with a dance show to explore mythological body states, sometimes extreme, sometimes gentle. I will be accompanied on stage by the virtuoso German percussionist Joss Turnbull." Regarding the difficulty of performing on stage in Beirut, the artist attests, "Dancing in Lebanon for me is a vulnerable experience, but in this vulnerability, there exists a strength that, I am certain, will create a unique and intimate encounter with the audience." Charlie Prince is certain that dance can transform humans: "I firmly believe that dance can change us. More than a belief, it's something I have seen, witnessed, and felt. Dance is necessary, whether to celebrate, to mourn, to forget, or to remember; it's a necessary force to reclaim the body, to remind us that we are alive, and that despite everything, we exist."
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In 2018, Charlie Prince received the Boghossian Foundation Award for Excellence in Dance and Performance, awarded by the Villa Empain in Brussels. Endowed with a rare sensitivity, in search of movement, emotion and danced words, Charlie Prince took his first steps toward dance while studying classical music at the Montreal Conservatory, as he pursued composition and conducting courses included in the curriculum. "In this practice, I discovered the deep ability of the body to communicate music, poetry, and emotion... and in this specific case, to share it with another group of musicians," he recounts. The poetic, even philosophical vision of this body on stage haunted the artist. "I was fascinated, even obsessed with the silent body that could, through the magic of gesture, create sound, energy, a vast and cosmic texture," he continues. Thus, the desire took him to take a dance class. He was 18. Since then, everything has continued at a frenetic pace.
Regarding the dance genres he has practiced, he traces his dance journey: "I started training in classical ballet during the first three years of my dance journey. However, I quickly realized that the world of ballet did not appeal to me in an aesthetic, ethical and artistic sense. I never felt at home there. I was looking for the possibility of a deeper expression, of freedom, chaos, and unpredictability. I wanted to reflect the world around me. This led me to explore improvisational practices and quickly propelled me into the vast world of contemporary dance. I worked with choreographers like Omar Rajeh and Benoit Lachambre who transformed the way I perceive the potential of my body in motion in space and, in doing so, the power of my body in this world." Enthusiastic about being part of the BIPOD 2024 lineup for its 20th anniversary, Charlie Prince shares his feelings: "From the beginning of my professional dance career, BIPOD has always been my reference and my home. Omar Rajeh and Mia Habis have never failed to put together a committed and visionary program, offering the Beirut public the opportunity to attend avant-garde and high-quality contemporary dance performances from around the world, while providing young Lebanese artists significant opportunities to share their work and exchange with international presenters and programmers. This year's edition will be special, as BIPOD is celebrating its 20th anniversary. It's an honor to perform at home, in Beirut, and share my solo, The Body Symphonic, which crosses the idea of a concert with a dance show to explore mythological body states, sometimes extreme, sometimes gentle. I will be accompanied on stage by the virtuoso German percussionist Joss Turnbull." Regarding the difficulty of performing on stage in Beirut, the artist attests, "Dancing in Lebanon for me is a vulnerable experience, but in this vulnerability, there exists a strength that, I am certain, will create a unique and intimate encounter with the audience." Charlie Prince is certain that dance can transform humans: "I firmly believe that dance can change us. More than a belief, it's something I have seen, witnessed, and felt. Dance is necessary, whether to celebrate, to mourn, to forget, or to remember; it's a necessary force to reclaim the body, to remind us that we are alive, and that despite everything, we exist."
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