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Salah (dancer)

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Salah
Born
Salah Benlemqawanssa
صلاح بن لمقوانصة

(1979-06-28) June 28, 1979 (age 45)
Saint-Denis, France[1]
NationalityMoroccan
Other names
  • Salah the Entertainer
  • Spider Salah
OccupationDancer
Years active1995–present[1]
Known forWinning La France a un incroyable talent, Arabs Got Talent and Tú Sí Que Vales (Italy)
WebsiteBreatheTheBeat.com

Salah Benlemqawanssa (born June 28, 1979), also known as Salah the Entertainer and Spider Salah, is a competitive hip-hop dancer from France who won the inaugural season of La France a un incroyable talent (France has Incredible Talent), the fourth season of Arabs Got Talent and the fourth season of Tú Sí Que Vales (Italy). He was born in the Paris suburb Saint-Denis and is of Moroccan (Father) and Algerian (Mother) ancestry.[2][3] He calls his personal dance style P.A.B.E. which stands for Popping, Animation, Boogaloo, and Effects.[1][4][5][6][7] Although Salah is best known for popping, he is also skilled in b-boying.

Career

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Salah started dancing in 1996 after he saw the dance crew O Posse practicing their moves in front of the mirrors of the Théâtre national de Chaillot.[8] Two years later, he and his crew The Family won second place at the international b-boying competition Battle of the Year (BOTY) in 1998. In 1999, he joined the contemporary dance company Montalvo-Hervieu.[9]

In 2006, Salah won the first season of Incroyable Talent.[10][11] In 2007, he performed a one-man stage show at London-based Breakin' Convention called "The Dream of Gluby".[12] In 2008, he starred as himself in Beats Per Minute, an independent film about a French popper who discovers he can rewind time with his dance moves.[13] In 2009, Salah served as a judge at BOTY's international one-on-one b-boy battle in Germany. BOTY is a b-boy competition exclusively for b-boy crews; however, to celebrate their 20th anniversary they had a competition for b-boy solo dancers.

"My life is dance and dance is my life. I sacrifice a lot for the dance. I am always practicing or performing. There is not much time for a personal life, but I love what I do! It takes a lot of inspiration, time and dedication to become a good dancer."

Salah[8]

In 2011, Salah led a digital project called Breathe the Beat. Through Breathe the Beat, he released a series of five video tutorials explaining how he takes inspiration from the world around him to create his P.A.B.E. dance style.[14] He also judged an online competition based on the principles of his tutorials to see which dancer could create the best one-minute performance. The winner, chosen by Salah, that created the best routine was James "AnimatedJ" Jimenez from the USA.[15] The project also featured a series of roadshows around the UK taught by Brooke and Roxy from Funkstylerz and Plague dance crews.[16] After Breath the Beat, Salah toured North America from October 2011 to October 2012 as a featured dancer in Cirque du Soleil's production Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour.[17]

In 2013, Salah became a brand ambassador for Puma. Through this partnership, Puma launched a dance project called "Puma the Quest" that gave five dancers the opportunity to travel the world and be personally mentored by Salah. The street dancers were chosen from hundreds of video submissions which were narrowed down to a core group of 20. The core group had to perform live in front of a panel of judges including singer Nawell Madani, rapper Youssoupha, and Salah himself. The five winners—Lara Laquiz, Tiet Sofian, Steph 2SL, Anto, and b-boy Ska—were announced the following day at the Juste Debout 2013 finals.[18][19] They traveled with Salah to New York City, Berlin, Tokyo, Paris, London, and Los Angeles to learn about the street culture within each city. When they returned to Paris they created a show about their experience around the world.[19]

In December 2013, Salah appeared on La France a un incroyable talent again in a one-time special called La Finale des Champions (The Finale of Champions).[20] Three months later in March 2014, Salah served as a judge on the Canal J kids television show Battle Dance with singer Sherefa Luna and b-boy Ali "Lilou" Ramdani.[21] In 2015, Salah won the fourth season of Arabs Got Talent.[3]

Titles

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  • Tú Sí Que Vales (Italy)[22]
    • 2017: Winner
  • Arabs Got Talent[3]
    • 2015: Winner
  • Last One Stands
    • 2014: 1-on-1 Popping champion
  • DANCE@LIVE WORLDCUP
    • 2014: 1-on-1 Freestyle champion
    • 2018: 1-on-1 Freestyle champion
  • Red Bull Beat It[23]
    • 2012: 1-on-1 Freestyle champion
  • UK B-Boy Championships[24]
    • 2016: 1-on-1 Popping champion
    • 2010: B-boy crew champions[note 1]
    • 2007: 1-on-1 Popping champion
  • Funkin' Styles
    • 2010: 1-on-1 Freestyle champion
    • 2009: 1-on-1 Freestyle champion
    • 2006: 1-on-1 Freestyle champion
  • Popping Professional battle Japan
    • 2007: 1-on-1 Popping champion
  • EuroBattle[25]
    • 2008: 1-on-1 Popping champion
    • 2006: 1-on-1 Popping champion
  • Juste Debout[26]
    • 2006: 2-on-2 Popping champions - Salah & Iron Mike
    • 2004: 2-on-2 Popping champions - Salah & Damon Frost
  • Incroyable Talent[10][11]
    • 2006: Winner
  • The Notorious IBE[27]
    • 2005: Stand Up Dance Battle champion
    • 2003: Stand Up Dance Battle champion
    • 2002: Seven 2 Smoke champion
  • Urban Momentum[9]
    • 2004: 1-on-1 Freestyle champion
  • B-Boy Showdown[9]
    • 1998: 1-on-1 Popping champion
  • FreeStylez Seesion Korea[9]
    • 2004: 1-on-1 Freestyle champion

Appearances

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Training

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Salah specializes in hip-hop, but he has also studied other forms of dance including African, salsa, tap, contemporary, and belly dancing.[8] Salah is a member of Vagabonds[1] and Massive Monkees b-boy crews and Montalvo-Hervieu contemporary dance company.[9] To stay in shape, he works out five times a week with two trainers.[2]

Notes

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  1. ^ He won the world b-boy crew battle with Vagabonds.
  2. ^ The official name of La France a un incroyable talent in the first season was Incroyable Talent.
  3. ^ He judged the locking and popping competitions only.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Salah Faculty Bio". BWYDance.com. Archived from the original on August 10, 2011. Retrieved November 5, 2009.
  2. ^ a b "Puma the Quest: Meet Salah". SportEtStyle.com. L'Équipe. March 18, 2013. Archived from the original on May 19, 2013. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
  3. ^ a b c Al Tamimi, Jumana (March 8, 2015). "'Arab Charlie Chaplin' wins reality show". Gulf News. Archived from the original on March 9, 2015. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  4. ^ "Salah". Dance-Book.com. Retrieved November 5, 2009.
  5. ^ "Salah Workshop - PABE". BreakinConvention.com. 2009. Archived from the original on October 22, 2010. Retrieved November 5, 2009.
  6. ^ "Salah Benlemqawanssa". SalsaLibre.pl. 2007. Archived from the original on March 15, 2011. Retrieved November 5, 2009.
  7. ^ "Birmingham Brings Breathe the Beat!". BreakinConvention.com. August 9, 2011. Archived from the original on April 4, 2012. Retrieved October 2, 2011.
  8. ^ a b c d Nika "Nawtee Neek" Kramer (October 19, 2001). "Interview with Salah". RedBullBCOne.com. Archived from the original on June 17, 2010. Retrieved October 22, 2010.
  9. ^ a b c d e f "Les Danseurs: Salah BENLEMQAWANSSA". Montalvo-Hervieu.com (in French). Archived from the original on July 14, 2011. Retrieved November 5, 2009.
  10. ^ a b c d "Cast". BeatsPerMinuteFilm.com. Archived from the original on September 25, 2010. Retrieved October 6, 2009.
  11. ^ a b c Chow-Seegoolam, Su-Ann (May 10, 2009). "Breakin' Convention 2009: Theatre Review". NG-Magazine.com. Archived from the original on July 14, 2011. Retrieved November 5, 2009.
  12. ^ a b Pham, Khue (August 5, 2007). "HipHop-Tanzfestival: Ballett für B-Boys". Spiegel Online (in German). Archived from the original on March 4, 2014. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
  13. ^ "Home". BeatsPerMinuteFilm.com. Archived from the original on October 31, 2010. Retrieved October 6, 2009.
  14. ^ "Tutorials". BreatheTheBeat.com. Retrieved November 10, 2011.
  15. ^ "Competition". BreatheTheBeat.com. Retrieved November 10, 2011.
  16. ^ "The Artists". BreatheTheBeat.com. Retrieved November 10, 2011.
  17. ^ a b Marchand, Francois (November 4, 2011). "Review: Michael Jackson reborn in Cirque du Soleil's Immortal World Tour". The Vancouver Sun. Retrieved November 9, 2011.
  18. ^ "Puma launches her dance company: The Quest". Urban-Culture.fr (in French). February 21, 2013. Archived from the original on March 14, 2013. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
  19. ^ a b "Puma Presents its Dance Contest The Quest". MailMovement.com. January 23, 2013. Archived from the original on December 12, 2013. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
  20. ^ a b "La France a un incroyable talent". M6.fr (in French). Archived from the original on March 9, 2014. Retrieved March 8, 2014.
  21. ^ a b "Jury - Salah". CanalJ.fr (in French). Archived from the original on March 8, 2014. Retrieved March 8, 2014.
  22. ^ "Tu si que vales 2017 | Trionfa SALAH the Entertainer, è lui il vincitore della quarta edizione". La Gazzetta Digitale (in Italian). 9 December 2017. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
  23. ^ "Red Bull Beat It : Salah is the best party dancer !". RedBull.fr (in French). November 23, 2012. Archived from the original on November 28, 2012. Retrieved December 23, 2012.
  24. ^ "Hall of Fame". BBoyChampionships.com. Archived from the original on January 2, 2013. Retrieved October 26, 2012.
  25. ^ "EuroBattle". EuroBattle.com. Archived from the original on May 7, 2012. Retrieved May 7, 2012. Note: This is a flash site so it's not possible to link to the actual page where it says he won. To check this information from the homepage, click on "PAST EVENTS" in the column on the left side of the screen; then click on either "2008 - 4TH EDITION" or "2006 - 2ND EDITION". You will see Salah's name listed there with the other winners.
  26. ^ "JD Winners". Juste-Debout.com. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 23, 2014.
  27. ^ "Hall of Fame". TheNotoriousIBE.com. Archived from the original on November 30, 2010. Retrieved December 5, 2010.
  28. ^ Khalaf, Hala (February 8, 2015). "Shock as pianist Azzi is voted off Arabs Got Talent". The National. Retrieved February 22, 2015.
  29. ^ "All India Dance Competition and Workshop". EventElann.com. November 17, 2013. Archived from the original on March 3, 2014. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
  30. ^ "IBE 2013 Line Up & Special Invites". TheNotoriousIBE.com. Archived from the original on October 13, 2013. Retrieved September 15, 2013.
  31. ^ "Artist". R16Korea.com. Archived from the original on September 14, 2013. Retrieved September 7, 2013.
  32. ^ "The judges, the judges, the judges..." RedBullBCOne.com. Archived from the original on April 16, 2010. Retrieved October 22, 2009.
  33. ^ "Judges". BBoyChampionships.com. 2008. Archived from the original on January 5, 2009. Retrieved November 5, 2009.
  34. ^ "News - Warsaw Challenge 2008". Hip-Hop.pl (in Polish). 2008. Archived from the original on October 8, 2011. Retrieved May 12, 2010.
  35. ^ "The third edition of the event - Warsaw Challenge 2007". WarsawChallenge.pl (in Polish). Archived from the original on August 8, 2011. Retrieved June 1, 2012.
  36. ^ Iyer, Meena (August 6, 2014). "International hip-hop dancer Salah in Mad About Dance". The Times of India. Archived from the original on August 11, 2014. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
  37. ^ "Astérix et Obélix: Mission Cléopâtre Cast Information". Fandango.com. Archived from the original on June 15, 2011. Retrieved November 5, 2009.
  38. ^ a b c "Une star de M6 donne des cours de hip-hop" (PDF) (Press release) (in French). Neuchatel & Littoral. February 26, 2008. Retrieved February 14, 2011.
  39. ^ Salah Benlemqawanssa and Sofia Boutella (dancers) (2005). Feel the Vibe (music video). Ministry of Sound. Archived from the original on 2021-12-20. Retrieved May 15, 2010.
  40. ^ "Salah". Pro-Dance.co.uk. Archived from the original on October 27, 2010. Retrieved October 17, 2010.
  41. ^ Sources:
  42. ^ "Rencontres de la Villette 2007". Alter-Nativa.net (in French). October 24, 2007. Archived from the original on July 23, 2011. Retrieved November 5, 2009.
  43. ^ Kisselgoff, Anna (May 4, 2001). "DANCE REVIEW; All Manner of Strange Beasts, All Getting Along". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 27, 2015. Retrieved November 5, 2009.
  44. ^ "International Guest Workshop Salah (FRA)". DanceKool.com. December 20, 2010. Retrieved November 9, 2011.
  45. ^ "SDK.EUROPE ARTISTS HISTORY". SDKEurope.com. Archived from the original on February 9, 2012. Retrieved May 8, 2012.
  46. ^ "The teachers of the last years". UrbanDance.eu. Archived from the original on February 14, 2011. Retrieved February 14, 2011.
  47. ^ "Faculty/Guest Tutors". OnesToWatch.com.hk. Archived from the original on May 16, 2012. Retrieved May 24, 2012.
  48. ^ "Put Your Foot Down". IDFB.co.uk. Archived from the original on September 19, 2011. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
  49. ^ "Faculty". TheHipDrop.com. Archived from the original on January 9, 2014. Retrieved September 15, 2013.
  50. ^ "Salah". UrbanDance.hu (in Hungarian). Archived from the original on March 8, 2014. Retrieved March 4, 2014.
  51. ^ "Teachers". FairPlayAcademy.com. Archived from the original on May 31, 2016. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
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