Selim
Ben Safia

French-Tunisian choreographer and dancer Selim Ben Safia was trained in hip hop dance at the Sybel Ballet Theatre in Tunis. He then joined the Centre Méditerranéen de Danse Contemporaine and began his collaboration with choreographer Imed Jemaa. This is where his attraction to contemporary choreography was born. Starting in 2010, Selim choreographed several pieces and began extending sequences into the development of gestural phrases. He engaged his body in the occupation of space and its dynamics. His choreographic research focuses on the challenges of creation, the role of art in Arab-Muslim societies, the social pressures faced by dancers, and the future of the profession post-Arab Spring. Selim has a particular interest in the artist within each person. With this mindset, he directs young female dancers, circus performers, actors, and even amateurs. In parallel, he founded his contemporary dance company in Montpellier, Underground Skills. Aware of the difficulties faced in Tunisia and eager to allow artists to showcase their creations despite these challenges, in 2014, he initiated the first Hors-Lits in Africa. Hors-Lits Tunis later became Hors-Lits Tunisia. Selim then embarked on a relentless search for multicultural artistic exchanges. With each edition of the festival, a foreign company or artist is invited to participate. In 2017, Selim founded the association « Al Badil – l’alternative culturelle » an organization that aims to democratize culture and make it a factor of economic development.