Compagnie Abis

Biography

Born in Brussels in 1985, Julien Carlier began his artistic journey through intensive Breakdance training while earning a Master’s in physical therapy. A self-taught artist, he developed his choreographic language through interdisciplinary exchanges and collective projects.

His work merges Hip-Hop virtuosity with a search for intimacy and sensitivity. He explores how lived experiences transform into choreographic objects, focusing on transitions between reality and stage, physical commitment, and image composition. His creations fuse dance with other artistic disciplines, pushing the boundaries of movement and perception.

Since 2015, Julien has developed an internationally recognised body of work, including GOLEM (2019), DRESS CODE (2021), COLLAPSE (2021), TRAJECTOIRES (2022), and PAYSAGE (2024). He has participated in renowned training programs at Royaumont Abbey and was a resident choreographer at Charleroi Danse (2020-23). Currently, he is an associate artist at the Théâtre de Liège (2024-28).

Through an experimental and hybrid aesthetic rooted in Hip-Hop, his company develops projects centred on creation, LAB residencies, and audience engagement. With strong international outreach, his work continues to evolve at the intersection of movement, music, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Artistic project

BETON is rooted in public space, and more specifically the skatepark. It transforms these urban spaces into stages for movement. Fusing breakdance and skateboarding, the piece explores the interplay between speed, balance, and physical architecture. It adapts to each location, creating a unique interaction with the audience, who can move around and engage with the performance from different perspectives.

The piece balances control and instability, with each fall sparking new movement dynamics. It highlights the sensory experience of public spaces, where gravity becomes a partner in choreography. BETON is inspired by these spaces of release and expressiveness, blending the extremely urban aspects with a form of organicity that could evoke nature. Concrete dunes where humans behave like modern animals. 

Through movement and sound, BETON poetically transforms urban environments, blurring the line between the technicality of city structures and the spontaneity of human movement. The performance redefines the relationship between bodies, spaces, and spectators, offering a renewed dialogue between the city’s architecture and those who engage with it

Format: performance

Size of audience: 30 people minimum (this will depend on the skatepark and its possibilities)

Specific location: skateparks (mainly outdoors but we are open to adapt it to indoor skateparks)

Timing/duration: around 50min ideally at twilight, when the shadows start making its appearance but there is still natural sunlight