The French artist, who has danced in 42 cities around the world and lived in Montreal, Macao, San Francisco and Dubai, is used to jet lag. “Fortunately, I’m used to adapting! Right now, rehearsals for the Olympic closing ceremony are mainly taking place at night because the Stade de France is hosting sporting events during the day,” Arthur Cadre explained on Wednesday, August 6.
A few days before the big show that will mark the end of the Games, his work pace is intense because the dancer, renowned for his very particular style mixing breakdancing, contortions, acrobatics and contemporary dance, will be the common thread for almost two hours.
Alongside Tom Cruise
He will appear alongside other personalities such as American star Tom Cruise and French groups Air and Phoenix. According to our information, the Divertimento orchestra, chaired by business leader Morald Chibout, will accompany the various artists. Zahia Ziouani is the conductor. “A few months ago, artistic director Thomas Jolly introduced me to the character he wanted me to play over a coffee in Paris. I immediately saw myself in this role!” enthuses the 33-year-old. “Innovative”, “atypical”, “modern”, “precursor”… To hear the qualifiers put forward by his close friends, Arthur Cadre ticked all the boxes to please the organizing team of Paris 2024, whose opening ceremony marked a real break with previous editions and revolutionized the genre.
On August 11, those who do not yet know him will discover the multiple talents of this native of Perros-Guirec nicknamed “Lil Crabe” at the beginning of his career in Côtes-d’Armor. “It was me who gave him this little nickname derived from little crab. An allusion to his style which made one think of this crustacean and also of Brittany to which he is very attached”, says Mohammed Ibnyassin, director of Unvsti, a local popular education association specializing in hip-hop and urban cultures.
“When I saw him arrive at the age of 9, I immediately felt that he had something different, especially in the way he appropriated the breakdance figures that I taught him to adapt them to his own style,” reveals his former coach who would follow him in all national and international competitions. “As a child, his great strength was his speed, the speed with which he performed his movements. Surprisingly, he did not particularly shine with his flexibility. He acquired that later through hard work,” remembers dancer Audrey Ksena who participated in street shows with him before he left for other horizons, far from his native region.
He participates in a Formula 1 Grand Prix
Since then, Arthur Cadre has participated in major shows such as the National Football League in Atlanta in 2016, the Abu Dhabi Formula 1 Grand Prix in 2021 and the 2020 World Expo in Dubai where he worked with the famous Indian director Shekhar Kapur, an iconic figure in Bollywood. Alongside these big productions, Arthur Cadre also says he seeks direct contact with the public, as during this tour in Egypt where he performed in villages that sometimes had no electricity. “We found ourselves in front of people who had never seen a show in their lives, there was a real exchange. It’s this direct contact with the public, seeing them react throughout my demonstration that I like,” says the artist, who turned to breakdancing partly for this reason.
“And then, unlike ballet where everything is codified and square, this sport allows me to create my own movements and imagine very personal sequences,” continues this jack-of-all-trades who also defines himself as a choreographer, photographer, model and director. When he was younger, Arthur Cadre studied architecture in France and then at the University of Montreal, which he partly financed with the income from his dance performances. Before, finally, devoting himself completely to his true passion. “His great strength is his incredible culture and his ability to draw inspiration from many other artistic forms and everything around him. That’s probably why the Olympic team recruited him,” explains the artist Filippo Ferraresi with whom he collaborated in the show “La Perle” in Dubai, directed by Franco Dragone. The latter, co-creator of Cirque du Soleil, had entrusted the main role to Arthur Cadre, giving him a lot of leeway.
“Prepare to see me fly”
Just like Thomas Jolly for the closing ceremony. “I made suggestions to Thomas to stick as closely as possible to the character I represent, to his walk, his attitude, his reactions. Then we saw if they worked or not and we adjusted together”, confides the thirty-year-old who will not reveal more about his upcoming performance. Duty of confidentiality obliges. “He just told me ‘get ready to see me fly’. Can’t wait to see it!”, says one of his close friends. Is the global success of the opening ceremony a source of additional pressure or does it have a galvanizing effect on the dancer? “A bit of both”, answers the person concerned with a smile.
“Arthur is truly the quiet force. I have never seen him get angry or lose his cool,” assures his friend Audrey Ksena. In the audience at the Stade de France or in front of their television screens, it is possible that some of his compatriots recognize the silhouette and the very particular swaying of the “crab man” because the artist participated in the final of “Le France a un incroyable talent” in 2015. His YouTube channel, which allowed him to test certain sequences with the audience and to put his signature on them, also contributed to increasing his notoriety.
At the closing ceremony of the Olympics, his parents will be present in the stands. Both are great athletes since his mother once played for the French volleyball team, while his father, vice world champion in windsurfing, participated in the Seoul Olympics in 1988. “It’s not for nothing that he succeeded in sport. He takes after him!” sighs Mohammed Ibnyassin. The two men have remained very close and call each other regularly. “He is someone who is very loyal in friendship. Last year, despite his busy schedule and all his obligations, Arthur took the trouble to travel here to perform as part of the international battle that I organized,” says his first coach who, on August 11, in front of his television, will vibrate in unison with more than a billion spectators.
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