The Roots will be staged at the People's Liberation Army Opera House on May 23. [Photo/ pla-theater.com]

Attou carries on with one simple belief: dance is a way to express himself. Apart from teaching, he collaborates with various cultural institutions from Paris to Phnom Penh, absorbing the essence of different genres. He believes that a continued thirst for knowledge was the perfect preparation for his role as director of the prestigious Centre Chorégraphique National de La Rochelle.

“I am proud to be the first hip-hop choreographer chosen by such an authoritative institution. Before, I performed abroad as a hip-hop dancer. Now, I have one more identity, a French culture disseminator. Meanwhile, I never forget that I’m a dancer. I made street performances as well when I was in France. The origin of hip-hop dance was to dance in the street,” he said.

Though not the first show in China, Attou admitted that he was exciting about the upcoming show. “The Roots is a human adventure, a journey enacted by 11 exceptional hip-hop dancers. It represents the rewards of this quest: drawing from the generosity of this dance in order to discover new paths,” he said.