About Xavier

Raphael Xavier is an award winning artist from Wilmington, Delaware who currently lives in Philadelphia. A self-taught Hip Hop dancer and Breaking practitioner since 1983, Xavier continues to learn and recreate new ways to expand the vocabulary of the dance form through constant research of the culture, performance, practice and by staying present in the community.  Raphael has forged an exceptional approach to improvisation with Brenda Dixon Gottschild deeming Xavier, “A fine movement technician.” Xavier is a 2013 Pew Fellow,  2014 Macdowell Fellow, 2016 Guggenheim Fellow, 2017 United States Artist Fellow, and Hearst Choreographer-in-Residence. 

His extensive research in Hip Hop forms and culture, specifically Breaking, has led to the creation of Ground-Core, a Somatic dance technique that gives the practitioner a better understanding of the body within all dance forms. His goal is to make the form accessible to any body type and level. Ground-Core technique is featured in most of his choreography and repertory works. His company represents Breaking and its roots as his work sheds light on the sustainability and longevity of the form. Raphael is currently a Lecturer at Princeton University teaching: Intro to Breaking and Comparative Hip Hop dance practice and Aesthetics.