Rising Stars: Meet Dalel Bacre of West LA

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dalel Bacre.

Hi Dalel, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I started my journey in Mexico, (where I am from), where dance was my first language — it was how I understood and connected with the world. In the beginning, I was simply fascinated by how the body could tell stories and hold emotion, but over time that curiosity grew into a deeper investigation of movement — not just as choreography, but as a way of understanding human behavior and identity.

After years performing and collaborating with choreographers and directors internationally, I began to feel drawn to the process behind the performance — how movement could shape characters, images, and emotions. That’s what led me to become a movement director and to create Body Connect, a lab where I explore the physical, emotional, and instinctive layers of the body.

My work now moves between film, fashion, and live performance, and I love that each project challenges me to translate human experience into physical language. Whether I’m working with actors, models, or dancers, I see movement as a way to access truth — to make something feel real, alive, and embodied.

So in a way, my journey has always been about the same thing — exploring what it means to be human through movement, and finding new ways to express that through collaboration and creation.

As a performance artist (dancer), I’m dedicated to exploring new creative experiences, fostering collaborations, and building meaningful connections through movement and art.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The road hasn’t been easy — but really, what road ever is? What I can say is that every challenge has taught me something about myself and about life. Those experiences have made me resilient and empathetic, and that’s what I value most: to learn, to evolve, and to keep moving forward.

I’m an immigrant who’s had the fortune to travel and do what I love most — and that journey has given me a deep perspective on gratitude and what it means to build a life with purpose. I’ve gone through so many transformations that sometimes I feel like I’m living my fifth life right now.

The life of a dancer — or any athlete — is never easy. It demands sacrifice, discipline, and courage. There are family and personal sacrifices, and so many obstacles along the way, but that’s exactly where character and roots must rise and carry you through.

Among the many challenges I’ve faced, I’ve undergone two full knee reconstructions — my left knee in 2001 (ACL and MCL) and my right in 2018 (ACL) — both with cadaver tissue. When I learned I’d need surgery, I prepared myself mentally and refused to give up. I was scared, of course, but I knew I could recover and come back stronger — not only physically but emotionally and spiritually.

And today, here I am. As a Mexican, I honor the Día de los Muertos tradition — and every year, on my altar, I light candles for the two people who donated parts of their bodies so that I could continue dancing. For me, that’s the most profound reminder of connection, gratitude, and the power of life continuing through move

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a performance artist and movement director whose work explores transformation, identity, and the body as a living archive of experience. For over a decade, I’ve developed a multidisciplinary practice that merges performance, art film, and installation, often using masks, latex, and hybrid materials to expand the boundaries between the human and the sculptural.

I’m known for creating emotionally charged, visually striking pieces that exist between dance, film, and visual art. My performances and art films — such as Werewolf Heart, El Año de la Rata, and No Dancing Today — have been presented internationally and recognized with multiple awards and grants, including the FONCA National Fund for Culture and the Arts.

As a movement director, I’ve collaborated with a lot of different projects such as Babylon (Paramount Pictures), Monarch: Legacy of Monsters for Mari Yamamoto (Apple TV+), and Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War for Lily Cowles, in different fashion projects like YSL, The Cut Magazine, short films etc.

What sets me apart is the way I use the body as a sculptural and narrative medium — combining precision, emotion, and symbolism to create images that feel both intimate and otherworldly. I’m most proud of how my work continues to evolve while remaining deeply personal: rooted in my experience as a border artist and single mother navigating two worlds, Mexicali and Los Angeles, always in motion between them.

Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
Something surprising is that despite how physical and visually bold my work can be, I’m actually a very introspective and quiet person. My performances often come from long periods of stillness and observation — moments where I feel invisible, almost erased. Many people assume I’m fearless because of the masks, the latex, or the intensity of my imagery, but those elements were born from vulnerability.

What most people don’t know is that I do almost everything myself — from conceptualizing and performing to editing, costume-making, and production. Yet there’s one person who has been by my side for years: Arturo Lugo, known as Chino. His loyalty, talent, and friendship have been essential in keeping my creative universe alive. Together, we’ve learned to build from scratch, to turn small spaces into cinematic worlds, and to make art possible even when resources are limited. We haven’t lived in the same country for over ten years — he’s in Berlin and I’m in Los Angeles — yet somehow, we keep our world alive across distance and time.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.dalelbacre.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dalelbacre?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Twitter: https://x.com/arte_nomada?s=21&t=aQgXWNHUuKltaIxoXoHJ0g
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@dalelbacre2896?si=MsFzB62zUUQ-VjQc

Image Credits
Photographs by Christian Weber

Photographs for Rouge Fashion Book by Javier Castán