Founded in 2012 at the initiative of choreographer Ousmane Sy, Paradox-Sal is an all-female crew. He brought together dancers from diverse backgrounds around a shared language: house dance. Cultural and artistic ambassadors of France’s plural youth, the dancers of Paradox-Sal embody a contemporary form of French touch through hip hop culture.

Each dancer reflects the diversity and multiplicity of today’s hip hop culture—contemporary, accessible, and intergenerational. The crew’s uniqueness lies in the blend of styles practiced individually by its members, including locking, jazz, popping, hype, dancehall, hip hop, traditional African dances, contemporary dance, whacking, and floorwork. A concentrated energy unified by a common language: house dance.

Since its creation, the group has performed in France and internationally, taking part in numerous events in Brazil, Italy, England, and the Netherlands. As cultural activists, organisers, and DJs, the members of Paradox-Sal carry house dance far beyond the stage.

Four works for general audiences were created under the artistic direction of Ousmane Sy: Fighting Spirit (2014), Bounce(2015), Queen Blood (2019) and One Shot (2021). Since his passing in 2020, the collective has continued to perform and pass on this repertoire while increasingly asserting its own artistic voice.

Gentlewoman, presented at UNDER/GROUND 2026, is the first choreography created entirely by the collective itself—a work that embodies both continuity and artistic emancipation.