CH’ TTAHH
Bilal El-Had
In Ch’ttahh, meaning “dancer”, Bilal El Had returns to a practice that is both intimate and collective: Moroccan chaabi dancing and music, popular at weddings, street festivals and social gatherings.
Drawing on this living memory, he creates a work where rhythms, songs, social gestures and performed stories intersect. Between archives and contemporary voices, Ch’ttahh explores what dance reveals, shifts or fractures in gender norms and models of masculinity. Between tribute and reinvention, humour and melancholy, this piece brings forth the expressive power of chaabi as a force of transmission, disruption, and transformation.
A vibrant journey where the collective past becomes material to think, feel, and invent the future.
Touring
| Arsenic - Centre d'art scénique contemporain, Lausanne | 2026 | Arsenic - Centre d'art scénique contemporain, Lausanne | |
| Alkantara festival, Lisbon | 2026 | Alkantara festival, Lisbon | |
| Sharjah, United Arab Emirates | 2026 | Sharjah, United Arab Emirates | Ongoing discussions |
| Dérives casablancaises, Casablanca | 2026 | Dérives casablancaises, Casablanca | |
| Kaaitheatre x Les Halles de Schaerbeek, Brussels | 2026 | Belgium Première · December, 9 & 10 | |
| Concertgebouw Brugge, Brugge | 2027 | January, 28 | |
| Parallèle festival, Marseille | 2027 | January | Ongoing discussions |
| Artdanthé festival, Anières | 2027 | March, 2027 | date TBC |
| La Briqueterie CDCN du Val-de-Marne, Vitry-sur-Seine | 2027 | March, 2027 | date TBC |
| Viernulvier, Ghent | 2027 | March, 13 | |
| Les Brigittinnes, Brussels | date TBC | ||
| DeSingel, Antwerp | 2027 | Autumn, | date TBC |
| Théâtre Les Halles, Sierre (CH) | 2027 | Spring, summer, autumn, 2027 | date TBC |
| Fondation Royaumont, Asnières-sur-Oise ( FR) | date TBC | ||
| Le Maillon Théâtre de Strasbourg - Scène européenne, Strasbourg ( FR) | date TBC | ||
| Corso, Antwerp | 2028 | 2028 | date TBC |
Première · October 29th, 2026 at L’Arsenic, Lausanne (CH)
Artistic direction & choreography: Bilal El Had
Performer :Bilal El Had
Music producer: Reda Senhaji (Cheb Runner)
Dramaturgical advisor: Daniel Blanga Gubbay
Assistant: Théo Livesey
Sound designer: Milan Van Doren
Light designer: Ivan Casco
Set designer:Théo Demans
Costume designers: Cyril Bourez & Adam Halleux
Video editor: Nadav Direktor
External eye: Maud Blandel
Production manager: Rosine Bey
Executive productions: Moussem Nomadic Arts Centre, Les Halles de Schaerbeek
Co-productions: Charleroi danse, DeSingel, Kaaitheater, KWP Kunstenwerkplaats, Les Brigittines, Workspacebrussels, Ailleurs & Ici : Points communs, Arsenic Centre d’art scénique contemporain, Fondation Royaumont, La Briqueterie CDCN Val-de-Marne, Le Maillon Théâtre de Strasbourg - Scène européenne
Supports: Fédération Wallonie Bruxelles, Vlaamse overheid, Vlaamse Gemeenschapscommissie
Residency supports: Charleroi danse, DeSingel, Kaaitheater, KWP Kunstenwerkplaats, Workspacebrussels, Ultima Vez
Special thanks: Youness Khoukhou