French Hip-Hop Group Géométrie Variable Advances to World of Dance Semi-Finals on NBC

The 30-year-old Lille native would never have imagined in his "wildest dreams" realizing "such a unique experience." The young man recounts having spent unforgettable weeks in Los Angeles. "It’s only when we got back to France that we realized how exceptional it was to have been able to see Jennifer Lopez or Ne-Yo."

In his Facebook post on his first performance, the dancer expresses his pride in being "a Lille native in Los Angeles." I am moved to have represented "my family, my origins: Morocco, Reunion, in a show in Los Angeles judged by J-Lo, Ne-Yo and Derek," reports France 3, which points out that the show is broadcast every Tuesday evening on the American channel NBC at 9 p.m. (4 a.m. French time).

Jibril Maillot had started out as an acrobat. But after several operations later, he decided at the age of 17 to direct his skills towards another discipline, hip-hop. "From that moment on, I fell in love with the universe and I told myself that I was going to become a pro." He waited to have his baccalaureate before leaving Lille for Paris, with the determination to improve and write his name in the world of hip-hop, even though he knows he was taking his steps in one of the most ruthless universes of the artistic and cultural milieu. "The hip-hop universe is complicated. The mentalities are different, but I always gave myself the means to achieve my goals. I forbade myself to give up," he says.

In Paris, the Lille native quickly faced the harshness of life. "It was complete fending for myself. I was staying with different people. I was doing dance battles and I knew that if I didn’t win, I didn’t eat." But his determination to succeed at all costs eventually allowed him to meet the members of the Géométrie Variable group, with whom he defends the colors of France in a highly coveted competition, the same source specifies.