Christian Yav

Christian Yav, originally from Congo, is a freelance dancer and choreographer based in Amsterdam. He was born in Belgium (1993). From the age of 6 till 14 Christian practiced rhythmic gymnastics and acro gymnastics. He won various prizes. In 2006 Christian won the Flemish Championship.

In 2007 Christian started to develop his love for dance.  5 Years later he competed in So You Think You Can Dance where he made it to Top-14. After the show he immediately left Belgium to start a fast track program at the Amsterdam University of Arts (AHK) where he graduated in 2014. Throughout the years Yav has worked with choreographers such as Krisztina de Chatel, Dunja Jocic, Ryan Djojokarso, Loïc Perela and Conny Janssen. 

Mid-2018 Christian started his career as a choreographer. He created his first work in co-creation with Sedrig Verwoert. The piece THEY/THEM, performed by Verwoert and Yav, is a physical translation of emotions provoked by racism, queerphobia, and toxic masculinity. This point of departure has given them the tools to build their very own physical language that steps outside of the common framework and alternates between feminine and masculine gestures. 

Later in 2018 they created N****Swan. An ode, inspired by ‘Philopoemen’ by Rubens, which premiered in the Boijmans van Beuningen Museum Rotterdam. Christian also created Piece of Cake in co-creation with John Wooter and the students from the Amsterdam University. He’s also been a guest teacher at the academy. In 2019 the work THEY/THEM received the LEO SPREKSEL AWARD and the BNG BANKDANCEPRICE. 

Besides working in the contemporary dance field, Christian is an activist concerning inclusivity which reflects back often in his work.