Nelly Célerine

Nelly Célerine (Dancer and French Sign Language Performer)

Dancer, singer, and actress, Nelly Célérine has built a singular career at the intersection of performing arts, pedagogy, and multidisciplinary creation. Trained in dance and musical theatre she obtained a teaching certification in jazz dance from Studio Harmonic (Paris, France). Since 2002, Célérine has performed on some of the most prestigious stages in France: The Lion King (Théâtre Mogador), Swinging Life (Bobino), The Black Legends (as singer, dancer, actress, and assistant choreographer at the Folies Bergères). From mainstream musical theatre to more engaged, experimental forms, her eclectic repertoire seamlessly combines body, voice, and speech (Hair, Little Shop of Horrors, among others).

In 2016, she joined the Compagnie Halem Théâtre, as both choreographer and performer in productions Sea Reines, Réponse à une petite fille noirTe, and Light. Alongside, Célérine collaborates with companies and cultural institutions on projects exploring identity, memory, and borders, notably as a French Sign Language (LSF) dancer-performer, bridging choreography and accessibility. With choreographer Wanjiru Kamuyu, Célérine reimagined the solo An Immigrant’s Story as a duo, blending dance and sign language. This approach reflects her broader artistic vision: using gesture as a meeting point between languages, sensibilities, and audiences, creating shared spaces where the stage becomes a place of experience, play, and the circulation of emotions.

As a project leader for the association Les Sentiers de la Création, Célérine develops workshops for young children focusing on physical, musical, and sensory awakening, fostering creativity and emotional development from the earliest age.