Haspop

Last updated

Haspop
Birth nameHassan El Hajjami
Born (1977-08-01) 1 August 1977 (age 43)
Lyon, France
Origin France, Moroccan descent
Genres Hip hop
Occupation(s) Stage director, choreographer, dancer, and actor
Years active2001–present
Website www.haspop.com

Hassan El Hajjami (born 1 August 1977), also known as Haspop, is a French stage director, choreographer and dancer.

Contents

In solo performance and as a former member of the dancing group Pockemon Crew, he has won several contests, including standing as individual Champion in France and Europe for Popping (2003 and 2004, respectively) and, in 2004, World Champion with the group. Hassan toured Latin America and Asia as a soloist dancer with Käfig Company.

In 2005, relocating to Las Vegas, USA, he performed 1400 shows with the Cirque Du Soleil in the Beatles LOVE show in the lead role of the "Walrus". In 2007, Hassan was the second runner-up duo at the hip hop competition "Juste Debout". In 2009 he stopped dancing for the show LOVE but continued working for Cirque du Soleil as an artist he toured Europe and as artistic director for special events such as the opening of "Viva Elvis", opening of "Zarkana", opening of MJ "ONE", and the One Drop foundation in L.A and Hong Kong. In Hollywood he began to be cast in Commercials and Music videos such as Reebok, David Guetta, and many more. Also for "The Giant Mechanical Man" a NYC Tribeca Festival movie as a choreographer and dance stunt. In 2010, he became more widely known to American audiences when he was selected as one of the semi-finalists for the fifth season of the NBC television program America's Got Talent. He is also one of the finalists for the 5th season of the French television program "La France a un Incroyable talent" airing on M6. In 2011 and 2012 Haspop appeared on many Tv shows around the world such as "Beat the Best", " Arabs Got Talent", "La Meilleure Danse", "Istanbul Cabaret Show" In 2012 Haspop started the 9th season of the French tv show Star Academy as the choreographer. Star Academy is a three-month competition in which Haspop had a pivotal role as a judge and teacher counselor. In early 2013 Haspop began the creation of the new Cirque Du Soleil Las Vegas project called "LIGHT", as the Artistic director and choreographer. Until early 2015 Haspop worked with a cast of 20 dancers and aerialists creating new shows every other season, with the groundbreaking technology of 3D Mapping Led screens and interactive video, at LIGHT he worked closely with DJs such as Alesso, Nicky Romero, Disclosure & Skrillex, former members of Swedish House Mafia: Axwell & Ingrosso, video content producers Moment Factory. Producing events for Iheart Radio, Beats by DRE, Dreamworks, Baauer Studio B. In 2015 until March 2016 took a vital role in addressing one of the world’s most important causes—safe and sustainable water access—by assuming the position of Conceptor and Creator for the 4th annual show One Night for ONE DROP imagined by Cirque du Soleil. The show "Amanzi" was based on his own personal story and was performed for 2 preview performances and one night only Gala on March 18th 2016 at the Smith Center for the Performing Arts in Las Vegas. With more than 7000 spectators and more than 100 performing artists volunteering their time and artistry, the show event was a success, as US$ 6.5 million were raised for the One Drop organization.

Early life

He was born Hassan El Hajjami on August 1, 1977, in Lyon, France, to a family of modest means. [1] From the ages of ten to twenty, he pursued the career of boxing, while at the same time earning a Certificat d'aptitude professionnelle in plastering and masonry. After asking a friend who was a street dancer to teach him some dance moves, Haspop turned his attention to dance. In 1999, he founded the hip-hop dance group, the Pockemon Crew, and went on to win a series of competitions, both on his own and with his group. In 2003, he was the individual champion in France for Popping, and then in 2004, he won the European title. In 2003 and 2004, the Pockemon Crew won French, world and European championships in hip-hop, [2] including first place at Battle of the Year 2003.

In 2005, he was invited by Cirque du Soleil to audition and was accepted. [3] [4] Unable to bring his two children (whom as of 2010 he visited routinely), he performed in the United States for Cirque du Soleil from 2005 to 2009 in the Love show in Las Vegas in the role of the "Walrus." [1] In 2009, he decided to leave the Cirque, but with the challenges of the economic recession returned to street performance, [1] residing in Santa Monica, [3] until, in June 2010, he began his participation in America's Got Talent .

Career

Hassan began to box at a young age at his father's request. He quickly excelled at the sport, going on to become an inter-club champion in France. One lazy afternoon he went to see a friend of his, a hip hop dancer who had performed in the town square in Lyon. Hassan became intrigued by the wild style of hip hop dancing. He was immediately addicted. His parents are devout Muslims and dancing is frowned upon in his culture, but it was something Hassan couldn't ignore. He began to learn from his friends and was a natural, quickly becoming a popping sensation. He became the Popping Champion of France, then Europe, then the World, as he created his own self-taught style he called Has-Pop Style. One day at work, a colleague brought his father a newspaper stating that Hassan was Champion of France. Hassan's father immediately thought it was for boxing, until his colleague corrected him. It was for dancing. Hassan's father was less than thrilled until he spoke to his son and learned that Hassan was making a very nice living from dance, while helping to support his parents and three brothers.

A friend who had auditioned for Cirque du Soleil in Paris was asked if he knew anyone that specialized in popping. Hassan was summoned, completely baffled as to why a circus would want a popping dancer to perform among their animals. After the audition, he went back to France to be with his wife, who was giving birth to his daughter. While she was in labor, he received a call from Cirque. The doctor went ballistic, but Hassan knew it was the call he'd been waiting for. He was cast as The Walrus, the lead dancer and principal character for "Love." The birth of his daughter Ines and his career happened at the same time. Hassan and family moved to Montreal to prep the show, and then to Las Vegas, where he became the star of "Love."

Hassan infuses his dance style with a signature undercurrent of comedy and playfulness, which not only wows audiences but entertains in a way that straight dancing rarely does. Whether performing across the globe for Cirque Du Soleil or busking on Santa Monica's Third Street Promenade, Hassan has never forgotten his humble beginning, his simple roots, nor his passion for hip hop dancing.

America's Got Talent

Haspop auditioned for the fifth season of America's Got Talent in Los Angeles, which aired on June 1, 2010. The three judges, Howie Mandel, Piers Morgan, and Sharon Osbourne, unanimously voted him forward to the next round in Las Vegas. Once he reached Las Vegas, the judges selected him as among the 10 acts to move directly to the quarterfinals in Hollywood without having to compete in another round of eliminations. A total of 48 acts were ultimately selected for the quarterfinals in Hollywood. In Hollywood, he was in the third batch of 12 quarter finalists who performed live on July 27, 2010. The judges gave him positive reviews, with Howie Mandel commenting that "That is what I'm talking about. That is wow! It really is wow, Haspop!" Piers Morgan added that he thought Haspop's was "the performance of the night, so far." Sharon Osbourne agreed with the other two judges, stating that the performance was "spectacular, absolutely spectacular." On July 28, 2010, Haspop was voted by the viewers to move to the semifinals.

Related Research Articles

Franco Dragone is a Belgian theatre director. He is the founder and artistic director of Dragone, a creative company specializing in the creation of large-scale theatre shows. He is also known for his work with Cirque du Soleil and Celine Dion.

Hip-hop dance Street dance styles performed to hip-hop music

Hip-hop dance is a fusion dance genre that incorporates elements of popping, locking, breaking, jazz, ballet, tap dancing and other styles and is typically performed to hip-hop, R&B, funk, electronic or pop music.

Ludivine Furnon French gymnast

Ludivine Furnon is a retired Olympic athlete from France. She was the first French female gymnast to ever win a medal at the World Gymnastics Championships.

Benoît Jutras is a Canadian composer. Jutras is best known for his work with the Canadian entertainment company Cirque du Soleil, first as music director and later as composer for several of the company's contemporary circus shows. Jutras' music often blends eclectic influences, including world beat, classical, rock, trip hop, and electronica. His scores for Cirque du Soleil shows include O, Mystère, Quidam, and La Nouba. His work outside Cirque du Soleil has included original soundtracks for Le Rêve, the Glow in the Park Parade, and The House of Dancing Water. He has also composed for film and television.

Mia Michaels American choreographer and judge

Mia Michaels Melchiona is an American choreographer and judge on the television show So You Think You Can Dance. She has worked with Tom Cruise, Celine Dion, Gloria Estefan, Madonna, Ricky Martin, Prince, and Catherine Zeta-Jones. In 2005 she choreographed Cirque du Soleil's world tour Delirium and Celine Dion's A New Day, for which she received an Emmy Award nomination. In 2007 she won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography for her routine on "Calling You" during season two of So You Think You Can Dance. She won another Emmy Award during season five in 2010. She was a judge during season 7 with Adam Shankman and Nigel Lythgoe. She choreographed the dance sequence for "Get Happy" in the episode "Bombshells" of the television series House.

Jamie King is an American creative director, choreographer, and producer. His work directing concert tours for pop stars has grossed over $2 billion.

So You Think You Can Dance is a United States television reality program and dance competition airing on the Fox Broadcasting Company network. Season four premiered on May 22, 2008, with Nigel Lythgoe and Mary Murphy returning as permanent judges and Cat Deeley returning to host. Joshua Allen was announced as the winner on August 7, 2008, the first hip-hop dancer to win the title.

So You Think You Can Dance is a United States television reality program and dance competition airing on the Fox Broadcasting Company network. Season five premiered on May 21, 2009, with Nigel Lythgoe and Mary Murphy returning as permanent judges and Cat Deeley returning to host. Jeanine Mason was crowned America's Favorite Dancer on August 6, 2009, making her the second female to win the show. For the first time, the show moved to a new stage, but it turned out to be the last season at CBS Studios.

Audition

An audition is a sample performance by an actor, singer, musician, dancer or other performer. It typically involves the performer displaying their talent through a previously memorized and rehearsed solo piece or by performing a work or piece given to the performer at the audition or shortly before. In some cases, such as with a model or acrobat, the individual may be asked to demonstrate a range of professional skills. Actors may be asked to present a monologue. Singers will perform a song in a popular music context or an aria in a Classical context. A dancer will present a routine in a specific style, such as ballet, tap dance or hip-hop, or show his or her ability to quickly learn a choreographed danceion is a systematic process in which industry professionals select performers, which is in some ways analogous to a job interview in the regular job market. In an audition, the employer is testing the ability of the applicant to meet the needs of the job and assess how well the individual will take directions and deal with changes. After some auditions, after the performer has demonstrated their abilities in a given performance style, the audition panel may ask a few questions that resemble those used in standard job interviews.

Ashlé Dawson

Ashlé Dawson is an American choreographer, director, and dancer from Long Island, New York.

Salah Benlemqawanssa, 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, 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. He calls his personal dance style P.A.B.E. which stands for Popping, Animation, Boogaloo, and Effects. Although Salah is best known for popping, he is also skilled in b-boying.

So You Think You Can Dance is a United States television reality program and dance competition airing on the Fox Broadcasting Company network. Season seven premiered on May 27, 2010. In the August 12 finale, contemporary/jazz dancer Lauren Froderman was named "America's Favorite Dancer" and received the grand prize of $250,000, as well as an appearance on the cover of Dance Spirit magazine and in print advertising for Gatorade. Contemporary dancers Kent Boyd and Robert Roldan were named runner-up and third-place finisher, respectively.

Les Twins Identical twin French dancers, choreographers, singers and models

Laurent and Larry Nicolas Bourgeois, professionally known as Les Twins, are French dancers, choreographers, producers, models, designers, and creative directors of their brand "Eleven Paris". Often referred to by their respective nicknames, "Lil Beast" and "Ca Blaze", they are recognized internationally for their talents in new style hip-hop dancing, and various dancing styles. They are identical twin brothers.

ReQuest Dance Crew are an all-female hip-hop dance crew from Auckland, New Zealand. ReQuest was formed in 2007, with originally five members. They are based out of The Palace Dance Studio in Penrose and are one of six crews alongside The Royal Family (MegaCrew), Kingsmen (Adult), Sorority (Varsity), Duchesses (Varsity) and Bubblegum (Junior).

Jacques Heim is a French-born dance choreographer who founded Diavolo Dance Theater in 1992 after graduating from California Institute of the Arts. He was born and raised in Paris, France. As a young man, Heim moved to New York City, and shortly thereafter received his BFA in Theater, Dance, and Film at Middlebury College in Vermont. He then moved to England and received his Certificate for Analysis and Criticism of Dance from University of Surrey. After his stay in England he came back to America, only this time to California, where he would receive his MFA in Choreography from the California Institute of the Arts.

Tabitha and Napoleon Dumo American married choreographers

Tabitha A. D'umo and Napoleon Buddy D'umo, known together as Nappytabs, are Emmy Award-winning married choreographers who are often credited with developing lyrical hip-hop. They are best known for their choreography on the television show So You Think You Can Dance and for being supervising choreographers and executive producers of America's Best Dance Crew. Since being with the former, their choreography has received both praise and criticism. They own Nappytabs urban dancewear and have been working in the dance industry since 1996.

Mathieu Laplante is a producer, director, choreographer, and former circus performer. He was a world-renowned gymnast from the age of 8 through 15 before joining Cirque du Soleil. He has worked on stage with artists such as Michael Jackson, Peter Gabriel, and Janet Jackson. He is best known for his work with Cirque-style shows. He began performing with Cirque du Soleil at the age of 16 and directed his first Cirque-style show at the age of 26.

Wellington Lima Brazilian artistic acrobat and performer (born 1979)

Wellington Lima is a Brazilian artistic acrobat and performer who currently works as a performer in the Michael Jackson ONE show at Cirque du Soleil.

Yanis Marshall is a French dancer and choreographer. He was born on November 11th, 1989 in Grasse, France. He specializes in a style of dance choreography in which dancers of all genders wear high-heeled shoes.

Saulo Sarmiento is a Spanish acrobat and pole dancer from the Canary Islands. He performed with Cirque du Soleil and has appeared on Britain's Got Talent and La France a un incroyable talent. He began gymnastics training at the age of 13.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Rivet-Paturel, Michel (July 27, 2010). "Natif de Bron, Haspop envoûte l'Amérique de son incroyable talent". Le Progrès . Retrieved August 2, 2010.
  2. ↑ Rockwell, John (December 9, 2006). "A Glorious Rush Hour: 28 Cities Converge to Dance". New York Times . Retrieved August 2, 2010.
  3. 1 2 Frex, Aurélie (June 9, 2010). "Un danseur frenchy épate les Américains". Europe1 . Retrieved August 2, 2010.
  4. ↑ "Hassan El Hajjami". Cirque du Soleil. Retrieved August 2, 2010.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.