Vladimir ”7Starr” Laurore

Vladimir “7Starr” Laurore is a self-taught multidisciplinary artist born in Montréal. His diverse talents have allowed him to evolve across the arts scene as a performer, choreographer, rapper, actor/extra, and teacher.

In 2005, he co-founded the first Krump group in Canada, Bzerk Squad. 7Starr has worked passionately to promote and showcase Krump culture in his home province of Quebec. In 2008, he organized the first Krump event in Canada: Gutta Zone.

In 2014, he founded the Montreal Krump Alliance (MKA), a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and democratizing Krump culture and street dance through various events and activities. In 2018, the MKA helped transform Gutta Zone into Gutta Zone Fest, a multi-day international Krump festival that now attracts dancers from around the world.

7Starr has been invited to numerous national and international events as a judge, competitor, host, and teacher, notably The Buckyard (Prague, Czech Republic), Royal Rumble (Martigny, Switzerland), Dance Immersion (Toronto, Canada), and Osaka Expo (Osaka, Japan), among others. As a choreographer, he has been invited to residencies at Usine C (Montréal, 2025–2026), the Calgary Hip Hop Street Dance Festival (Calgary, 2025), and the McKnight International Choreographer Residency (Minnesota, USA, 2027).

In 2017, he received the Victor Martyn Lynch-Staunton Award from the Canada Council for the Arts for his outstanding artistic achievements. In 2018, the Black Theatre Workshop awarded him the Gloria Mitchell-Aleong Award for his exceptional talent as an emerging professional artist. In 2020, he won the Coup de Cœur Award at the Dunamis Gala.

His acclaimed solo performance Anima/Darkroom, co-choreographed with artist Lucy M. May, opened doors to major stages such as Fluid Fest in Calgary and Théâtre La Chapelle in Montréal. The piece was also selected for the prestigious Festival TransAmériques (FTA) and earned him the Prix Découverte (Discovery Award) from the Prix de la danse de Montréal.

His choreographic journey continues with the solo shows Retraced (2023), Wh3r3 3ls3? (2026), and SKLTR (2026) — a piece co-choreographed with artist Charles Brecard — as well as his new youth production Kosmos (2027).

In 2020, 7Starr reinvented himself as a Krump music artist, returning to his first loves: rap and writing. He has collaborated with numerous Krump music producers worldwide, notably Montreal’s Shash’U, and released his first solo album, Diff Diff, accompanied by five music videos. His work has attracted media attention, earning him interviews with CTV News, CKUT, and Télé-Québec. In 2024, he participated in the Fanmi Se Fanmi tour across five cities in Quebec.

7Starr continues to innovate and push his limits across his various disciplines while developing ambitious new projects that will see the light of day in the coming years.