During the first encounter with Manon Bal, the Pandemic had just started. The motivated dancer she is, she never stopped working. She continued rehearsing and choreographing, using movement as a medicine against the uncertainty of the times. It was inspiring and invigorating to see a professional of one of the hardest hit industries unwavering in her commitment to her art form. There was a distinct feeling much was going to happen. Three years later, another encounter with this talented dancer has indeed shown the accuracy of the prediction, with a blazing trail of accomplishments. The impressive list is an ode to her dedication, and to how the rich diversity of New York’s artistic landscape enhances creative expression.
During the height of the pandemic lockdown, Bal embraced the constraints imposed and danced in many online shows, including the Kennedy Center and the New Victory Theater. The virtual experience made her dive deeper into her expressiveness, in a platform and setting just as new for the performers as for the audience. The company’s residency at the Kennedy Center allowed her to experiment with a digital stage as part of the 25-minute show featuring Ephrat Asherie Dance company and original art by Mo Willems. Her performance at the New Victory Theater with her own company, Mozaik Dance, was also one of the highlights of the year.
As the world started opening up again, performances returned to the theaters and festivals. Manon was ready to dance on the stages she had dreamed of for years, and she did. With Asherie’s company she performed at the Lincoln Center, the Joyce Theater and the New York City Center, among others. “The Joyce Theater was where I watched all my favorite companies perform. To dance there in person was so powerful,” she shares with emotion. “Fall for Dance” at the New York City Center was the first dance festival in New York I saw when I moved here. I was so inspired and I knew I wanted to dance there at some point. Having the opportunity to do so was just incredible,” she adds, “especially for those performances”.
Her strong feelings about Asherie’s choreography come from her deep connection to street dance styles and social dancing. Living in New York has allowed Manon to learn and experience the underground club culture and the freedom of expression that the culture exudes. “It was actually during the pandemic, going to the block parties and getting to know the elders of the community, that I was introduced to a deeper understanding of social and street dance styles, and I feel that my whole essence as a dancer changed as a result,” says Bal. Michele Saunders is one of the elders she had formed a meaningful relationship with, and exemplifies how her performance skills with Asherie’s company and her presence in the club scene are intertwined and personal. “I met Michele through Ephrat [Asherie], and I felt immediately so connected because she also moved to New York from France. Even though it was years ago I felt that our stories and our paths were, and are, in some ways parallel,” says Manon. Michelle was a regular at Paradise Garage, where she found the same freedom of expression as a dancer and is still a staple of the dance scene five decades later. Manon and Michele bonded by their country of birth and love for the club culture have now danced together many times both on stage, and in the streets and clubs of New York. The love and admiration they have for each other is reciprocal. “Manon is a unique type of dancer, who combines grace and expertise at her art form, with an expressiveness that pushes the art of dancing to new levels,” says Michele.
Bal’s own Mozaik Dance, founded with Janine “J9” Micheletti and Sun Kim, is also rooted in street styles, as well as infused by her classical training in ballet and contemporary dance. When Little Island, a unique public park built in the Hudson River, opened in 2021, the company performed there for their first in person show since the pandemic.
Last year marked other major highlights in this dancer’s career, as she continued to check off the stages on her wish-list, including performing at Spoleto Festival USA and Vail Dance Festival with Ephrat Asherie Dance, where the company was the first to bring street styles to the festival’s stage. “Performing ‘UnderScored’ at the Guggenheim was also a very special experience for me, because of the iconic location, and because the theme of intergenerational dancers in the NYC underground dance scene is so personally tied to my life”, says Manon with a smile.
The Tribeca Performing Arts Center was another important accomplishment during recent months. She both performed and worked as assistant director for ‘Silent Film’, a spin on black and white films, street styles and club dance created by renown Italian waacking dancer Michela ‘Miki Tuesday’ Deidda, who is full of praise for her colleague. “Working with Manon is always a pleasure, she constantly exceeds expectations. I remember watching her during dress rehearsal and being amazed by the life she gave to her character. She was absolutely perfect! I couldn’t have asked any better. Her work as assistant director was essential to the development and completion of the show,” she says.
Manon Bal performs ‘Outburst’ with the Faustine Lavie Dance Project. © SDF Media 2022
Even though performances based on street dance styles are increasingly part of her performance curriculum, Bal has not lost touch with her strong background in contemporary and modern dance. She still trains and performs in these styles and is a company member of contemporary dance company ‘Faustine Lavie Dance Project’. “I need this part of me as well,” she explains. “I feel good when I’m dancing modern and contemporary. It allows me to express another side of myself, rooted in my training. It is very different from street styles, but still me.”
Not surprisingly, the professional and personal experiences in New York City have shaped who Manon Bal is as a dancer today. As her connection to the music has grown deeper, and her expression of movement has become freer, her mindset and outlook as a dancer have changed. She no longer wants to be identified based on her dance style, and her goal is to be able to flow through different qualities of movement and styles, connecting them into something different and new. The approach is reminiscent of the Gestalt theory, where the attributes of the whole are not deducible from analysis of the parts in isolation – in this case, the different dance styles. It reflects the essence of New York as a melting pot of cultures and influences that come together to create unique artistic expressions, that never cease to inspire and amaze. Manon Bal’s talent and dedication are in the right place to continue growing and evolving, both on the dance floor and on acclaimed stages.
