Eli Mathieu-Bustos (1998) is a dancer-performer whose bodily virtuosity allows him to transcend his different political identities. Out of these identities his dances are born.

He is both a trained and an autodidact dancer. He started out with ballet at the age of five and went on with jazz and breakdance classes. Until the age of seventeen he navigated between different styles such as new-style, poppin, krump, contemporary dance etc. Self-taught and passionate about improvisation, his sources of inspiration are found both in institutionally recognised dance canons such as German expressionist dance and butō and in dance styles associated societally with subculture such as dancehall and house. After high school he went on to study Performing Arts. These studies allowed him to discover theater and cinema, two disciplines that can be found in his current work. Eli also studied choreographic studies at the Manufacture in Aurillac and has a Master’s degree in the Institute of Arts and Choreography (ISAC) obtained at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels.

For two years he has been working on combining his practice of astrology and dance in order to create a new improvisation technique. This technique, which he calls De Caelo, is based on a methodology of movement writing open to all canons and dance styles with the only hierarchy of value being the emotion it transmits to the spectator. Eli Mathieu-Bustos has also collaborated with other artists and houses such as Marco Torrice (Melting Pot collective: DANSAND! 2021 festival Ostend and Re-creature festival at La Palenda in Rome), Marco Arriola (CRUCE project 2021-2022), Patric Chiha (Film: The Beast in the Jungle 2021 ) the Antwerp Opera (trailer of the 2022-2023 season) and Milø Slayers (play: DEMONstatio 2021-2022).

During 2021-2022 he performed solos in many venues in Brussels at mostly queer and FUBU events.). He has danced for Decoratelier (Africa is/in the future 2021 and 2022 edition), LDC, Nova, Crazy Circle and Fatsabbats festival among others. During WIPCOOP Brussels 2022, Eli presented a work in progress called Have a Safe Travel. The premiere of this first solo, which he is currently still working on, will take place in spring 2024.