Mehdi Dahkan
Upcoming event: 17.04.2026 - 06:00
Mehdi Dahkan (b. 1998, Tangier) is a Moroccan self-taught choreographer and dancer whose work interrogates socially constructed behaviors and ideologies within the contemporary Maghreb social landscape. He currently lives and works between Morocco and France. Mehdi began his artistic path with breakdance, parkour, and other urban practices. His curiosity later led him to explore Bollywood and contemporary dance. As a performer, he has collaborated with several companies and choreographers across Morocco and Europe, including Sylvain Groud (Ballet du Nord), Khalid Benghrib (Cie 2k.far), Guy Weizman and Roni Haver (Club Guy & Roni), Samar Haddad King (Cie YSDT), Radouan Mriziga (A7la5), among others.
In 2019, Mehdi founded Jil Z, a platform for choreographic research. He has created several works, including MA’KAN (2019), BNI MAKADA (2021), ONLY 14 (2023), and SUBJECT TO (2024), KMS OF RESISTANCE (2025) presented in renowned venues such as Charleroi Danse (BE), Belfast Arts Festival (UK), Museum of Monologues Istanbul (TR), MAC Museum Salvador (BR), SummerWorks Toronto (CA), and Radial System Berlin (DE). He also directed the documentary film Hna, hna, which follows the daily lives of a young generation of urban artists in Tangier. Mehdi’s practice combines urban and contemporary aesthetics to explore the body both as a site of negotiation. His work focuses on the socio-political implications of movement, highlighting the role and potential of the body in questioning norms and expressing resistance. By rejecting orientalist representations, he seeks to reclaim space for a plural portrait of the Maghreb.
In 2019, Mehdi founded Jil Z, a platform for choreographic research. He has created several works, including MA’KAN (2019), BNI MAKADA (2021), ONLY 14 (2023), and SUBJECT TO (2024), KMS OF RESISTANCE (2025) presented in renowned venues such as Charleroi Danse (BE), Belfast Arts Festival (UK), Museum of Monologues Istanbul (TR), MAC Museum Salvador (BR), SummerWorks Toronto (CA), and Radial System Berlin (DE). He also directed the documentary film Hna, hna, which follows the daily lives of a young generation of urban artists in Tangier. Mehdi’s practice combines urban and contemporary aesthetics to explore the body both as a site of negotiation. His work focuses on the socio-political implications of movement, highlighting the role and potential of the body in questioning norms and expressing resistance. By rejecting orientalist representations, he seeks to reclaim space for a plural portrait of the Maghreb.
