Dance accompanying musicians

Fabrice Benhamou, pianist

After training at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Hanover, where he obtained his Diplom-Musiklehrer (instrumental teacher’s diploma) in 1998, Fabrice Benhamou continued his training at the Toulouse Conservatory, specializing in accompaniment, and then at the isdaT. During his training, he had the opportunity to work with the choirs of the Opéra du Capitole in Toulouse, and with the vocal ensemble Les Éléments, collaborating notably with J. Suhubiette, M. Plasson and C. Cuguillère.

Fabrice Benhamou was subsequently appointed accompanist for dance classes at the Toulouse Conservatory, as well as accompaniment and sight-reading teacher at the Carcassonne Conservatory, since 2004. In 2009, he passed the competition for the Territorial Public Service, which allowed him to be recruited as an accompanying teacher at the Toulouse Conservatory. He has also been hired to train piano accompanists at the isdaT. At the same time, Fabrice Benhamou worked as a substitute accompanist with the Toulouse Capitole Ballet. He was also pianist-accompanist at the IX International Competition for Interpretation of French Melody of Toulouse and for the ensemble UNITÉ, directed by Christian Nadalet.

Fanny Do, pianist

A native of Tarbes, Fanny Do obtained her Diploma of Musical Studies in piano, the Certificate of Choreographic Studies in classical dance at the Toulouse Conservatory. Fascinated by accompaniment and chamber music, she has taken part several times in the Gabriel Fauré International Academy – Déodat de Séverac, devoted to the interpretation of French melody, and formed the Amarillo trio with vocals and saxophone, performing a contemporary repertoire. Holder of a State Diploma in dance accompaniment, she accompanies classical and contemporary dance classes at the Pau Conservatory and currently at the Montauban and Toulouse Conservatories.

As a multi-instrumentalist musician, she enriches her musical repertoire and sound palette by drawing inspiration from various music styles (classical, jazz, contemporary, electro-acoustic, traditional, etc.) to provide a rich and suitable musical environment for dance. She has had the opportunity to accompany professional ballet companies such as the Capitole Ballet, the Lyon Ballet and the Dortmund Ballet, and to work with ballet masters such as Wayne Byars, Stéphane Dalle, Emmanuelle Broncin, Minh Pham, Antonio Najarro and others. Passionate about teaching, Fanny Do has been an accompanist and teacher trainer in classical, contemporary and jazz dance at isdaT since 2020 in the frame of the State Diploma in dance (DE).

Sébastien Gisbert, percussionist

Sébastien Gisbert started playing drums in Hérault then joined the Béziers Conservatory. He then entered the Toulouse Conservatory at the age of 14, in the class of Michel Ventula. There he discovered high-level classical and contemporary music, and obtained the National Diploma of Musical Studies. Continuously seeking improvement, he also wins other national and international distinctions such as the National superior diploma of professional musician at the isdaT.

Alongside this classical career, his curiosity and eclecticism have led him to travel, meeting artists from all over the world (Orlando Poleo, Guem, Pandit, Ghost Shankar, etc.) and discovering a multitude of ethnic percussion instruments (Cuban, African, Indian, etc.), which he immediately incorporates into his playing. His intensive search for new and varied sounds has also enabled him to play in a wide variety of musical groups: the Toulouse Capitole National Orchestra, Les Frivolités Parisiennes, the Toulouse Wind Orchestra, Daltin Trio, Les Sacqueboutiers, Wurth Philarmoniker, the Tunisian Symphony Orchestra, Guilhem Desq, Guillaume Lopez, Funky Style Brass, Les Grandes Bouches, Mister Team, Loud Cloud, etc.

Yannick Berbié, percussionist

Accompanying musician and trainer at the isdaT for the State Dance Teacher Diplomas, Yannick Berbié also composes and performs music for the contemporary dance company Empreintes. Yannick Berbié is aware of the difficulties faced by dance teachers when it comes to finding suitable music for their teaching, so he set up the Music for Dance website. The site offers musical compositions specifically designed for dance lessons, whether for beginners, introductory or technical classes.

Today, his research on the interaction between music and dance with choreographer Clémence Baubant has led them to propose workshops and training sessions to break down barriers between practices for dance and music teachers and students. Textured and full of contrast, his compositions are written through the interaction between the timbres of the instrument, the material of the sound and the movement of the body.

Florent Tisseyre, percussionist

Florent Tisseyre followed musical training in classical percussion at the Toulouse Conservatory where in 1999 he was awarded first prize. He also obtained his State Diploma in dance accompaniment. For the past twenty years, he has been accompanying dance classes at the Toulouse Conservatory. He is also a trainer at isdaT as part of the training for the State Diploma of dance and music teacher (DE in dance accompaniment). He has trained in Latin percussion as well, particularly Afro-Cuban, with G. Maldonado and J.C. Martinez.

In parallel with his teaching activities, Florent Tisseyre leads a significant career as a performer. In the field of classical music and more particularly early music, he joined Les Sacqueboutiers, an ensemble of old brass instruments of Toulouse in 2005, and became one of its regular members. He participates alongside in numerous concerts and recordings. For the past two decades, he has also been a regular collaborator with the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse. Also as an eclectic musician, he navigates between jazz, salsa, funk and Caribbean music, often joining several ensembles.

Juliette Capel, percussionist, cellist

Juliette Capel entered the Toulouse Conservatory in dance class at the age of 6 and continued the entire course there until obtaining the Diploma of Choreographic studies in contemporary dance. Still at the conservatory, she studied cello, and she learned percussion at the Amanita Muscaria Afro-Brazilian music school. After several trips, experiences and musical training courses, she joined the Ensemble Méditerranéen de Toulouse as a cellist, directed by Brahim Dhour, who trained her in Arabo-Andalusian music for 3 years. She also played in different groups where she merged her musical knowledge through different styles.

For several years now, she has been leading early-learning music and percussion workshops. She currently works as a percussionist with the dance, music, fire and pyrotechnics company Les Dernières Amazones. She also works with Nour Kara, a Franco-Iranian producer of electronic music. In this project, Juliette Capel offers a non-classical interpretation of the cello, with sounds modulated by effects. For several years now, she has been working with the women’s group Sardinhas da Mata (Amanita Muscaria company), highlighting the cultural and artistic traditions of north-east Brazil through song, music and dance.

Adam Dupas, violinist

Adam Dupas began his music studies at the Nîmes Conservatory, where he found his balance by learning both classical violin and contemporary music. In 2020, he was admitted to the isdaT, where he had the opportunity to play alongside Thomas de Pourquery, Erik Truffaz and Vincent Peirani.

His attraction to Eastern European music, which he discovered on a trip to Bulgaria, as well as his taste for jazz and progressive metal, resulted in a protean first album, released in 2021 with his band Kokosch/KA. Graduating from isdaT in 2023 with a performance by his CharbonTrio, skilfully blending Free Jazz and Stoner Rock, he began teaching and accompanying dance in various schools in the Toulouse region alongside his artistic projects.