Joris

JORIS FOCQUAERT is a versatile artist currently living in Berlin, Germany. His road to the performing arts began in 2004 at the Commedia School in Copenhagen, Denmark. Next to physical theater, which involved Clowning, Maskplay, Puppetry, Cabaret, Buffoon a.o., he was introduced to different dances, music and rhythm. It was in 2006 that he got to know about some of the early African American Jazz dances like the Charleston and the Lindy Hop, and their link with improvisation, expression and performance.

Founder of Crazy Legs Dance School in Ghent (2010, Belgium), the city where he honed his skills, today you can find Joris giving individual sessions in Berlin’s dance studios (e.g. Jam Haus), or occasionally visiting different dance festivities in Europe. For more than a decade, his humble and respectful approach to these artforms has been sought after by local dance communities in over 17 countries. As a dance instructor, he gives his best, always seeking answers in the roots of Jazz, making sure his sessions are an exchange instead of a one-way stream.

In recent years, he has developed autodidactic multi-instrumental skills; singing and playing the clarinet, trombone & piano. This has accelerated his understanding of Jazz and the Blues connected to dance in a way that is very unique, as playing music on stage instead of dancing in front of it is the same yet very different.

Joris is happy to see you in one of his sessions — let’s share, create and inspire!

He plays trombone in Berlin’s new hot swing octet ‘the Infinite Chocolate Jar’

He plays clarinet in ‘traditional’ jazz sextet ‘the Jawzom Six’