On the rise on the Belgian and European choreographic scene, Liège choreographer Ben Nieto will make PATIO his home base during the 2026-27 and 2027-28 seasons.

A self-taught dancer-choreographer specialising in break dance, Benoît Nieto Duran was born in Liège (BE) in 1990 and currently lives in that same city. In 2006, he joined the group “OPB”, with which he represented Belgium around the world in competitions (battles). After winning numerous titles, both as a group and solo, he decided to turn to the world of creation and dance-theatre for greater freedom in terms of movement and interpretation: this led him to develop an atypical method of work and movement research, characterised by an “animal” style. Benoît draws on his various artistic collaborations across different settings, whether in train station halls, on the stage of the Opéra Royal de Wallonie, in theatres or in museums. He has worked with numerous artists and professional companies, including Cie Okus Lab, the Opéra Royal de Wallonie, Exzeb company, Luc Petit création, Cie Victor B, HipOrgue, Nono Battesti, Julien Carlier, Cie Happy Brothers, Lila Magnin, Julie Bougard, and Pitcho Womba Konga…

In 2019, he founded Cie Manima Dance Company with the ambition of promoting a one-of-a-kind choreographic language by deconstructing the gestures and codes of break dance. He created a first solo piece and subsequently received support from the Théâtre de Liège, the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles, the Brigittines and the Grand Studio in Brussels.