Mathis Joubert is a French creative director, choreographer and multidisciplinary artist, born in South Korea and raised in France. Named to Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe 2026 in Art & Culture, his work spans choreography, artistic direction, live entertainment and contemporary culture. Drawing on more than a decade of international experience across stage, fashion, film and large-scale performance, he develops projects that bring together movement, music, theatricality, visual identity and storytelling.

At the center of his creative practice is THE BALLETBREAK, which he co-founded and artistically directs. Built from his unusual dual foundation in classical ballet and breaking, THE BALLETBREAK has evolved into both a distinctive movement language and a wider creative platform, combining the precision and theatricality of ballet with the freedom, instinct and explosive physicality of breaking.

Mathis began dancing as a self-taught breakdancer, founding his first crew, Slybreak Danse, while still in middle school. He won his first breakdance battle while still in his early artistic development, an important milestone that confirmed both his instinct for performance and his desire to build a life through movement. His artistic development later expanded through formal training. At Suzanne Valadon High School, he participated in an artistic atelier led by Sergio Simón, Director of the Limoges Opera, before moving toward professional dance training in Toulouse.

Mathis trained in classical ballet at VM Ballet while continuing to deepen his breaking practice with ABD-L, a member of the world-champion Vagabond Crew, at Break’in School. During the same period, he performed in Urban Ballet with Cie Amalgam, in partnership with Anthony Egea’s Compagnie Rêvolution, at La Villette in Paris. This coexistence of ballet and breaking would become fundamental to his identity as both a performer and creator, shaping the artistic language he would later develop through THE BALLETBREAK.

A series of major international distinctions accelerated his artistic development. He received the Best Talent Award at the AmsterDans International Competition, First Prize at #lamiastoriadidanza by Capézio and Danza in Fiera, Second Prize at the Prix d’Europe in the Senior Contemporary Solo category, and First Prize at Get Up et Fais Ton Truc, an initiative by Jamel Debbouze and Carrefour.

The latter award included a €20,000 grant, which gave Mathis the means to finance and accelerate the early development of THE BALLETBREAK. What had begun as an instinctive fusion of the two movement cultures that shaped him could now begin developing into a broader artistic project.

These distinctions also led to scholarships and professional opportunities, including a professional contract offer with J.B.E. — Jeune Ballet Européen and a scholarship to study at the Académie Internationale de la Danse (AID) in Paris under Nicole Chirpaz. Choosing instead to continue his development internationally, Mathis moved to New York City on a full scholarship to train at Peridance Capézio Center, before joining The Ailey School, where he completed a two-year program on full scholarship.

His artistic formation continued through scholarships and intensive programs with Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Alonzo King LINES Ballet, Jacob’s Pillow, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Visceral Dance Chicago, and the École Nationale Supérieure de Danse de Marseille. Exposure to these contrasting artistic environments strengthened the versatility that would later become central to his work as a choreographer and creative director.

Mathis began his professional career at the 25th Anniversary Gala of Complexions Contemporary Ballet at The Joyce Theater in New York, appearing in the world premiere of Switch Phrases by Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson as a pre-professional dancer. He later joined Arch Ballet as a company member, performing at New York City Center and the Eden Fine Art Gallery on Madison Avenue.

During this period, he also assisted Michael Blake, former Director of the Joffrey Ballet School, teaching at Steps on Broadway, and worked with choreographers and creators including Elizabeth Roxas-Dobrish, Christopher Huggins, Ray Mercer, Jennifer Archibald and Brice Mousset, among others.

He also performed in Nick Cave’s The Let Go, the monumental month-long installation at the Park Avenue Armory, choreographed by Francesca Harper, then Director of Alvin Ailey II. The production was later recognized with a Bessie Award for Outstanding Production.

Mathis had begun attracting attention from a broad spectrum of contemporary companies and productions. He received professional offers from Spectrum Dance Theater, Ballet Hispánico II, Nimbus Dance, Kayzer Ballet, Na-Ni Chen Dance Company, Catapult Entertainment, and White Eagle Dance Company, founded by former Paris Opera Ballet étoile and director Patrick Dupond alongside Leïla Da Rocha, among others.

That same year, he was personally invited by the producer of Das Supertalent, the German edition of the Got Talent franchise, to participate directly in the program’s live semi-finals.

Mathis ultimately joined Visceral Dance Chicago as a company member, touring internationally and performing at the Santa Lucía Festival in Mexico. He also became a principal dancer with Bad Boys of Dance / SweetBird Productions, performing leading roles in European touring productions including Rock the Ballet, Romeo & Juliet and Rock the Ballet X across major theatres and cultural venues in Germany, France, Switzerland and Belgium.

As his career expanded, Mathis increasingly moved beyond the traditional company model and into large-scale entertainment, luxury events, television and multidisciplinary production, experiences that would become particularly influential in the development of his creative direction.

He performed as a principal dancer and choreographer for the Darley Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, a private ceremony commissioned by the Sultan of Abu Dhabi and broadcast live on Yas TV. He later performed as a principal dancer in Le Cheval Joyeux at Potel & Chabot Paris, produced by RêvARTE Entertainment.

He also performed at Riyadh Season in Saudi Arabia before an audience of 13,000 spectators, in a production broadcast to more than 110 million viewers on Rotana Live TV, alongside celebrated Middle Eastern artists Assala Nasri and Majid Almohandis.

Mathis joined the national tour Un Été en France with internationally renowned cellist Gautier Capuçon and choreographer Sébastien Bertaud of the Paris Opera Ballet. He also appeared in the nationally broadcast Concert de Paris, performing atop the Eiffel Tower on Bastille Day.

His versatility naturally brought his work into the worlds of fashion, film and media. He appeared as a runway model during New York Fashion Week in Times Square and at Philadelphia Fashion Week SB, and performed during Paris Fashion Week for FRED Jewelry at the Palais de Tokyo.

His commercial and editorial work has included projects for Stade Français, Beaux-Arts Magazine × CooKoon Paris, Club Forfait, CPF and DSTI School of Engineering, as well as Story of a Hat by Lesly Lynch, a fashion film recognized at the Fashion Film Festival of Chicago.

Mathis has additionally appeared in campaigns, commercials, collaborations and editorial projects for international brands including Adidas, ASUS, Reebok, Uniqlo, Decathlon, Flotte, Outdoor Voices, Solid Homme, MPG Sport, FlexiSpot, Pig & Hen, Bodyline Fitness, Covet Dance, Gecko Hawaii, Funari New York, Liberty Play, Naughty By Nature, Primaal, Sprigswear and Che21, among others.

His screen credits include the Netflix series Bendo, Disney+ series Parallèles, TF1’s Mensonges, television jingles for France 3, and Guillaume Canet’s feature film Astérix & Obélix: L’Empire du Milieu. He has also appeared in music videos for Amir, Kids United, YoYo Ibarra and Fredrik Eklund.

A defining step toward artistic and production leadership came when Mathis joined PONANT aboard its luxury polar icebreaker, Le Commandant Charcot, operating primarily in Antarctica. There, he served simultaneously as Show Director, Artist Manager, Choreographer and Principal Dancer, conceiving, choreographing, directing, managing and performing original productions created specifically for one of the world’s most extraordinary travel and performance environments.

Mathis was a company member and choreographer with Verb "Ohio Contemporary Ballet". He performed at Playhouse Square in Cleveland and at the Gerald Arpino Centennial Celebration at Joffrey Ballet, while also creating an original work for the full company incorporating his BALLETBREAK movement language.

During the same period, he was invited as a guest artist to choreograph and perform an original BALLETBREAK work for The Cleveland Foundation Gala at the Cleveland Museum of Art, bringing his artistic universe into one of Cleveland’s leading cultural and philanthropic institutions.

Alongside his professional work, Mathis has developed an international practice as a teacher, mentor, choreographer and competition judge. For the Bravissimo International Competition in Canada, he has performed, choreographed and served as a jury member. He has also served on the jury for the Les Espoirs de la Danse International Competition in France.

His career has also led to professional offers from major international productions and companies including The Lion King on Broadway, in Paris and in Madrid, The Little Prince on Broadway, Boulder Ballet, Grand Classic Ballet, and Zikr Dance Ensemble, among others.

Mathis was a company member with BalletX, one of the United States’ leading contemporary ballet companies. During his tenure, he performed works by internationally recognized choreographers including Justin Peck, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Jennifer Archibald, Marguerite Donlon, Stina Quagebeur, Amy Hall Garner, Matthew Neenan, Gregory Dawson, Take Ueyama, Alex Ketley, Jo Strømgren, Noelle Kayser, Keelan Whitmore, JA Collective, Penny Saunders, Jamar Roberts, Trey McIntyre and Morgann Runacre-Temple.

At BalletX, Mathis continued to develop his identity not only as an interpreter but as a creator. He choreographed an original work in his BALLETBREAK language for the company’s 19th Anniversary Gala.

With the company, he performed at major international venues and festivals including the Kennedy Center, The Joyce Theater, Harris Theater, the Guggenheim Museum, Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Vail Dance Festival, Laguna Dance Festival, and the Festival des Arts de Saint-Sauveur in Canada.

In parallel, Mathis has continued to share his artistic approach through workshops and masterclasses across France and the United States. His teaching has taken him in Toulouse, Tours, Loches, Montpellier and Pamiers, as well as Cleveland, Philadelphia and Baltimore in the United States.

Mathis joined the cast of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera in Germany, performing as Hannibal Guard / Satyr at the Musical Dome in Cologne. His participation in the production continues the performing side of his career while he increasingly develops his work as a choreographer and creative director.

Mathis was also selected as a Moonshot Finalist, emerging from a global pool of more than 9,700 applications from 170 countries. The selection reflects the evolution of his work beyond choreography alone, toward the development of an artistic concept with the potential to exist as a broader cultural and entrepreneurial platform.

That same year, he was personally invited by Margarita Séguy of the International Dance Council (CID) to join the organization as a member. Mathis also met CID President Prof. Dr. Alkis Raftis in Athens, Greece, strengthening his connection to the international dance community.

Throughout this evolution, THE BALLETBREAK has remained the connecting thread.

What began with a young breakdancer discovering classical ballet has gradually developed through international companies, major cultural institutions, fashion, film, television, touring productions, luxury entertainment and artistic direction into a wider creative vision.

Today, Mathis Joubert’s work is increasingly centered on Creative Direction, Choreography and the development of original productions and large-scale live experiences. Through THE BALLETBREAK and his independent creative practice, he brings together movement, music, artists, visual identity, narrative and live performance to develop projects for international stages, cultural institutions, entertainment producers, brands and audiences worldwide.

His ambition is not simply to combine ballet and breaking, but to build a contemporary artistic universe in which disciplines, cultures and audiences that traditionally exist apart can meet, creating work that is refined yet instinctive, technically precise yet deeply physical, and capable of existing far beyond the traditional boundaries of dance.