Cherkaoui notes

Flemish-Moroccan- born in Belgium to a Flemish mother and a Moroccan father

Grew up in a home that was multicultural and multilingual

Led him to create works that explore themes of identity, cultural synergy and different belief systemsop

Participated at a young age in many shows and television programmes

At age 19 he won first prize for his solo performance that included a mixture of vogueing, African dance and hip-hop

Through studying at P.A.R.T.S., he got to know techniques of choreographers such as Pina Bauch, William Forsythe and Trisha brown

He also worked together with hip-hop and modern jazz dance companies

He debuted as a choreographer in 1999 in the contemporary musical Anonymous Society

After premiering Sutra in 2008, he founded his company Eastman in Antwerp

He was asked as a kid whether he feels more Moroccan or more Belgian, and wants to honour Morocco, where his father is from (especially as he had a complicated relationship with his father)

He is a queer artist, which inspired some of his works such as ’Ihsane”

He was drawn to dance as he felt it brought him back to life and craved the social contact it brought

He said he is a person who’s looking for freedom and that dancing was when he felt the most free