Curiosité: hip-hop and circus show by the Haspop Company at the Palais des Congrès

Discover "Curiosité," a fusion of hip-hop and circus conceived by Hassan El Hajjami, at the Palais des Congrès in Paris from December 26 to 31, 2025.

At the end of December 2025,the Palais des Congrès de Paris will host Curiosité, a show by the Haspop Company combining circus arts and urban dance. Designed and directed by Hassan El Hajjami, an artist who has worked with Cirque du Soleil and been a finalist in major international competitions, the show presents a story inspired by 1930s New York. Young Elliot, who has arrived from England to try his luck in the United States, survives by shining the shoes of travelers at Grand Central Station. An abandoned suitcase, from which a few familiar notes escape, takes him on an imaginary journey filled with surreal encounters and memories linked to the quest for hope and family. This visual fable explores the boundary between reality and dreams in an atmosphere of recession and magic.

Hassan El Hajjami's staging draws on choreography inherited from his time with Cirque du Soleil, combining acrobatic performances, hip-hop dance, and theatrical narration. The show combines disciplines such as strap acrobatics, capilotraction, hand-to-hand duets, contortion, AirTrack trampoline, and diabolo. Alexis Roure's musical creation, Émilien Guesnard's lighting, and Jean-Luc Navette's sets contribute to an aesthetic evoking 1930s New York, somewhere between fantasy and poetic realism. Costumes by Aline Perros and props designed by Rémi Mangevaud complete this visual universe structured around travel and illusion.

The cast includes Alexis de Saint-Jean, Younès El Hajjami, Virginia Dahn Pha, Nicole Martres, Céline Picault, Laurent Fraïoli, Marie Menuge, and Djalim Drack, with Maxime Vicente and Naloène Berneron alternating. Many of these artists, who come from prestigious schools or international circus companies, embody the figures that punctuate the young hero's fantastical journey. Founded in 2020, the Haspop Company brings together acrobats and dancers trained at Cirque du Soleil, Les 7 Doigts, and in competitive hip-hop dance, developing an approach that combines circus techniques, contemporary dance, and storytelling.

Curiosité is part of the company's desire to broaden the forms of contemporary circus by giving prominence to dramaturgy, imagination, and emotion. This creation, intended for the general public, explores optimism, resilience, and the power of illusion through a series of spectacular acts performed by multidisciplinary artists. Presented at the Palais des Congrès in Paris before touring France, the show is part of the current trend in live performance that combines movement arts and immersive scenography.

Curiosité can be seen at the Palais des Congrès in Paris from December 26 to 31, 2025.

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