Tunisian Contemporary Dance, Tunisia, France

Haroun Ayari

Dancer, choreographer, pedagogue and author, exploring the body as a living archive of memory, presence, and human experience.

Dancer Choreographer Pedagogue Author
Tunis, Lille, New York
About

The body as a
living archive

Haroun Ayari is a Tunisian contemporary dancer, choreographer, and pedagogue. He first performed with several Tunisian companies before developing a national and international solo career, teaching in cultural centres, and collaborating with the Ministry of Culture of Tunisia.

Haroun later moved to France to continue his artistic and pedagogical work. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Dance Teaching from the University of Lille.

His artistic research explores the idea that movement is a form of heritage, a living archive where emotions, experiences, and cultural narratives are deposited and reactivated. He has collaborated with choreographers across Tunisia, France, and the United States, including residencies in New York.

He is also the author of two books: The Living Archive and The Illiterate Body, which together form a profound inquiry into embodied memory, kinesthetic literacy, and the intelligence of the moving body.

15+
Years of practice
8
Original creations
3
Countries active
1
Published book
Contact & Info
Phone(+216) 22 582 037
Based inFrance & Tunisia
Instagram@harounayari
Pro Card14/2790
Training & International Programs
  • ESMD — 2 years in Contemporary Dance Teaching, Lille
  • University of Lille — Bachelor's degree in Dance Teaching
  • DanceMotion USA, Brooklyn Academy of Music, U.S. State Department
  • Residency & performance in New York (2017, 2018)
  • Martha Graham technique, David Brown
  • Barre à Terre & Classical, Nawel Skandrani
  • KEIGWIN + COMPANY, Modern & Contemporary
  • APDA, First teacher in North Africa
  • Action Zoo Humain, "Artists Without Borders"
Choreographic Works

Selected Creations
2017 — 2025

2018 — 2025
El Hadhra 3
Musical Dance Performance, Choreographer

A spiritual gathering rooted in Sufi tradition. Direction by Fadhel EL Jaziri. Through repetition, voice, and breath, the performance guides performers and audience toward wajd, a profound spiritual ecstasy. 34 years on stage.

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2023
Mahfel
Musical Dance Performance, Co-Choreographer

Reconstructing Bedouin wedding ceremonies from different regions of Tunisia through a contemporary lens. Over 100 participants. Presented at the Festival de Carthage. Co-choreography with Malek Sebai.

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2022
Thresholds
Contemporary Dance, Choreographer & Director

An exploration of liminality, the disorientation of the in-between. The dancers paint a landscape of desolation inspired by the feeling of not belonging, while expressing a deep need for freedom and fulfilment.

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2019
We Even
Contemporary Duet, New York

A duet exploring the urgency of real human connection. Created with American dancer Alysia Forte following a New York residency. A physical conversation about coexistence. Premiered December 2018, New York.

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2019
Path
Contemporary Solo, Choreographer & Director

The journey everyone takes from a starting point toward another state of life, through internal conflict, descent into the self, and the deep struggle that leaves behind unexpected emotional and psychological responses.

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2018
Point of Contact
Contemporary Duet, New York

A collaborative duet with Filipino-American choreographer Benny Royce Royon, born from DanceMotion USA. Performed in Tunis and New York, exploring conflict, resolution, and a shared movement vocabulary between two cultures.

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2017
The Void
Contemporary Solo, Choreographer & Director

A visceral journey into the space between what we are taught to be and who we truly are. The existential paradox between social codes and the pursuit of self-knowledge, touching identity, sexuality, and masculine codes.

Press ↗
2017
HE
Contemporary Dance-Theatre, Choreographer & Director

Three dancers in a space of tension, a triangle of bodies exploring the fragile line between the inner world and external reality. A living theorem: the self, the superego, and the other. The stage as a space of unanswered questions.

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Published Works

The Living Archive

Together they form a complete arc, the intimate practice and the cultural argument. The body felt from within, and the body seen from outside.

I
The Living Archive
A Dancer's Practice of Presence, Memory, and Creative Embodiment

A poetic reflection on how the body remembers. Through movement, memory, and emotion, this meditative book explores the body as a living vessel of presence and transformation, inviting readers to rediscover the quiet intelligence of the moving body.

Somatic Practice Embodied Memory Presence Research-Creation
Find on Amazon →

Encounters that
shaped the work

2018 – 2025
Fadhel EL Jaziri
El Hadhra 3, Mahfel (2023), El Nouba, Musical dance direction
Tunisia
2019
Alysia Forte
"We Even", Co-creation & New York residency, Premiere Dec. 2018
New York
2018
Benny Royce Royon
"Point of Contact", DanceMotion USA, performances Tunis & New York
New York, Tunis
2017
DanceMotion USA / BAM
U.S. State Department, Brooklyn Academy of Music professional development
New York
2017
Action Zoo Humain
Masterclass "Artists Without Borders", Chokri Ben Chikha, Laura Neyskens, Hafedh Zallit
Belgium
2016 – 2019
APDA, Asia Pacific Dance Association
Conservatoire de Bidart Saisons, First & only APDA teacher in North Africa
France, Tunisia
2016 – 2019
Massimo Gerardi / SusbTanz
"Clash", Co-production, Association Hayyou'Raqs & SusbTanz Company
International

Available for workshops, seminars, residencies and every encounter where movement meets thought.

LocationFrance & Tunisia
Instagram@harounayari
Available forWorkshops, Seminars, Residencies, Press