YONE: hip-hop dancer and Nohô host

Introduction

A dancer for nearly twenty years, YONE has been evolving in the world of hip-hop and new style with a sincere approach, rooted in practice and experience. Between personal training, battles, shows, and classes, dance is much more than an artistic discipline for him: it is a tool for building confidence and self-esteem.

At Nohô, he offers introductory classes that are accessible to all, designed as a first encounter with dance and with oneself.

Can you introduce yourself?

My name is YONE, I’m 32 years old.

I’m an artist and I’ve been dancing for almost 20 years. My world is clearly oriented towards hip-hop, more specifically new style hip-hop. I’ve been doing it since I was very young, since my teenage years.

Can you tell us a little bit about your background?

I started to get into new style hip-hop dance when I was around 13–14 years old. At first, I started with breakdancing with two or three friends in the 77, since I’m from the Paris region. But very quickly, I saw that my friends were progressing much faster than me. They were really good on the floor, on their heads, all that… and I thought to myself that it wasn’t really for me. So I told them that I was going to dance standing up instead, and I continued to train differently.

We started by doing a few village parties, since it was a small area. Then we moved on to city parties, like the ones in La Courneuve and my own city in 93. Then we started doing battles to compete with others. We lost some, we won others. We even created battles, particularly in the Rhône-Alpes region, thanks to one of my sensei in the world of dance.

Today, I teach dance classes in several associations. I’m also registered on Superprof and give private lessons to enthusiastic people who want to learn.

For my part, I continue to participate in battles. I no longer have a group, I do my projects solo, but I continue to dance, do battles, and perform in a few shows.

Has dancing become your main activity?

No, not yet. I’m not going to lie, I’d really like to do it full-time, but for now it’s complicated. There are ups and downs. I’ve been doing this for 20 years, so I’m used to it.

Sometimes it pays very well, and the next month you’re back down to the bare minimum. I can’t afford to do it full-time at the moment, so I dance part-time when I have time, and the rest of the time I work.

What do you offer on Nohô?

What I offer is introductions to dance. I would like to set up a program to help restore self-esteem. I have noticed that dancing brings real confidence. People often perceive you as more confident when you dance well. I thought it could help a lot of people, while also being a fun experience.

Nohô provides that first encounter and introduction to what I am passionate about every day: dance.

Conclusion

Through dance, YONE conveys much more than just movements. He shares a discipline that builds confidence, forges self-esteem, and allows for free expression.

Between field trips, battles, teaching, and personal practice, he embodies an authentic vision of hip-hop: accessible, human, and deeply alive. On Nohô, he opens up a space to discover dance in a different way, without pressure, in the pleasure of movement.