Participants URI IVGI&JOHAN GREBEN / Nitherlands «Provincial dances» / Yekaterinburg URI IVGI&JOHAN GREBEN After studying theater and sculpture Uri Ivgi starts his dance education at the school of the Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company in 1987. From 1990 until 1997 Uri dances with the Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company and performs pieces by Rami Be’er, Mats Ek, Daniel Ezralow, Jiri Kylian, Suzanna Linke, Inbal Pinto and many others. Uri creates his first choreography, Isch-Ischa, in 1993 and is subsequently repeatedly invited to create new work for the Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company as well as the Suzanne Dellal Centre (Tel Aviv, Israel). In 1998 Uri receives the first prize for best dancer during the International Competition for Choreographers as well as an award for Upcoming Talented Choreographer from the Ministry of Culture. In the same year he moves to the Netherlands to establish and fully focus on his career as a choreographer. After a successful start he is supported by several Dutch foundations and invited to create new works for several festivals, companies and schools all over Europe. In 2001 he enters the International Competition for Choreographers in Groningen, The Netherlands, with his duet Longing and wins the public award. The same duet wins him second prize during the Choreographers Competition in Hannover, Germany, in 2002. Johan Greben starts his dancing career with the Dutch National Ballet in 1985 and performs pieces by Frederick Ashton, George Balanchine, Carolyn Carlson, Nils Christe, Rudi van Dantzig, William Forsythe, Martha Graham, Edouard Lock, Hans van Manen, Krzystof Pastor, Toer van Schayk and many others. In 1989 Johan creates his first choreography Later (Straks) for the Dutch National Ballet. Later awards him both the Encouragement Prize for Choreography from the Amsterdam Foundation for the Arts as well as the Wim Barry Perspective Award. He subsequently creates a number of pieces for various companies, schools and festivals. Since 1995 Johan works as an independent choreographer, winning third prize with his duet 610 during the Choreographers Competition in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, in 1996. He combines his creative work with teaching technique and improvisation as well as coaching and guiding young dancers and choreographers. Uri and Johan meet in 2002 and become fascinated with each other’s work. Their mutual interest is making dance theater. With their different perspectives and skills they create for: It dansa, Spain; National Theatre Ballet, Czech Republic; Scapino Ballet, The Netherlands; Scottish Dance Theatre, Great Britain; Skanes Dansteater and Norrdans, Sweden and Szeged Contemporary Ballet, Hungary. «Provincial dances» «Provincial dances» company was founded in 1990 in Yekaterinburg. Artistic director of the most famous and successful company’s works is Tatiana Baganova. Tatiana’s work with dancers and actors is based on the synthesis of different methods and approaches taken from various European and American dance schools. ASIER ZABALETA / Spain Chelyabinsk contemporary dance theatre / Chelyabinsk ASIER ZABALETA Asier Zabaleta was born in Ezkio (Gipuzkoa) on June 3rd 1972. Since 1994 he has taken part in a number of dance companies including Arteszena, Adeshoras, Compañía de Vicente Sáez, Hojarasca, Q-ro y cía. and Maskarada. In 1994 he joined the Swiss company ALIAS, where he has participated in the creation of six theatre-dance productions and several films, exhibitions and public improvisations. Dividing his time as both dancer and choreographer, over the course of his career he has created: "DANADA" (1998), "Belaki efektua" (1999) ; "EGO" (2003) winner of first solo prize at the "10MASDANZA" festival in Gran Canaria, "EGO-tik" (2004), "Babia" (2005), "LOOK" (2006), “Intemperie” (2007), “ni contigo, ni sin ti…” (2007), “ELAGUJERODELAVESTRUZ” (2007), “BIHAR JAIO NINTZEN” (2008) winner of three different prices at the XXII Certamen Coreográfico de Madrid. Chelyabinsk contemporary dance theatre Chelyabinsk contemporary dance theatre appeared in 1992. More than half of company’s dancers have been working in the theatre for 10 years already. Due to active contacts with European theatres and choreographers and to many contemporary dance co-productions, Chelyabinsk contemporary dance theatre has always been in the core of international contemporary dance development process. VICTOR HUGO PONTES / Portugal LIQUID Theatre / Moscow-Chelyabinsk VICTOR HUGO PONTES Born in 1978 in Guimarães, Portugal. Drama Course at Balleteatro Escola Profissional and Teatro Universitário do Porto, (3 years, concluded 1999). Graduated in Fine Arts & Painting by Faculdade de Belas Artes da Universidade do Porto (Oporto University, Fine Arts School). Norwich School of Arts & Design in Norwich, UK, 2001. Course of Choreographical Research and Creation at Forum Dança, 2003. Theatre Direction course, directed by Third Angel at Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, Lisbon, 2004. “Projet Thierry Salmon” la nouvelle Ecole des Maîtres, directed by Pippo Delbono, Italy, 2006. As a performer, worked with Moncho Rodriguez, Joclécio Azevedo, João Garcia Miguel, Nuno Carinhas, João Paulo Costa, Ana Luísa Guimarães, Lígia Pape, Jack Souvant, Isabel Barros, Mário Afonso, Alberto Magno, Elisabete Magalhães, Third Angel, Mathilde Monnier, Clara Andermatt, Charlie Degot, Vera Santos. As a director, created the dance piece Puzzle at Festival da Fábrica (2003) and Danse a Lille, France (2005); Voz Off (Voice Off) presented at Festival “Quadros de Dança”, (2005); Laboratório (Laboratory) at Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian (2005); 100 Palavras (100 Words) co-created with Wilma Moutinho at Program Inter.Faces (2005); Ícones presented at Fundação de Serralves, (2006); Voyeur at “Quadros de Dança” Festival (2006); Fotomontagem (Photomontage), Centro Cultural de Belém (2007), Ensaio (Rehearsal), based on texts by Susan Sontag, for the program “The state of the World”, at Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian (2007); Manual de Instruções (Instructions Manual), Centro Cultural Vila Flor (2009); Worked as a assistant director of Nuno Cardoso in Woyzeck, by Georg Buchner (2005); Plasticina by Vassili Sigarev (2006), Platónov, de Anton Tchékhov (2008), produced by Teatro Nacional S. João, (Oporto National Theatre), Richard II e R2 by William Shakespeare, produced by Teatro Nacional D. Maria II (Lisbon National Theatre / 2007) and A Boa Persoa de Sezuán de Bertolt Brecht, produced by (Centro Dramático Galego/ Spain / 2008); Selected as young talent in Portugal at the contest Jovens Criadores (Young Talents) with the video piece Eu gosto muito de ti (I like you so much / 2004); and with the dance pieces Voz Off (2005) and Ícones (Icons / 2006); Portuguese representation at the International show of Europe and the Mediterranean, Bari, Italy /2008) First Prize with the piece Ícones at 2nd International Choreography Competition, Ludwigshafen 07, “No-Ballett” in Germany / 2007; Residency of “Repérages 2005”, Munich, organised by Danse à Lille and Tanztendez (2005); and “Mugatxoan”, San Sebastian and Oporto, organised by Arteleku and Fundação de Serralves (2006). Regular teaching at Balleteatro Escola Profissional, since 2003. Presently, works as actor in “L`Européenne” directed by David Lescot, produced by Theatre de La Ville, (Paris)/ Napoli Teatro Festival, (Napoles). LIQUID theatre LIQUID theatre (a theatre that is flowing, fluid, able to spill from one space into another) may be one of the only theatres in Russia that works in the site-specific performance genre. The group's performances grow out of the territory that the actors occupy here and now. A new production does not require a written script but an impulse, a theme, a new spring that will inspire actors and push them into unexplored directions. Once they find themselves in opposite ends of the same space, they begin to create, remembering and perfecting their various skills and experience – dance, acrobatics, and dramatic art. Thus, blending the boundaries of street and physical theatre, LIQUID creates each of its new performances. CHRISTOPH WINKLER / Germany Ёd physical theatre / Saint-Petersburg CHRISTOPH WINKLER Christoph Winkler was born in Torgau/East Germany, studied choreography at the prestigious School for Drama Ernst Busch and has been working as an independent choreographer in Berlin since 1998. He has received invitations to the German Dance Platform in 2002 and 2004, to Rencontres Chorégraphiques Internationales de Seine-Saint-Denis in Paris 2003 and ImPulsTanz Vienna in 2003 with an adaptation of the piece “Hinter den Linien” for the Dance Theater Ensemble Vienna. From 1999 until 2006, he was artist in residence at the Tanzfabrik Berlin e.V. In 2003, he was invited for a residency in Nancy (F). An excerpt of his piece “Homo Sacer” was invited by Angelin Preljocaj to the second edition of “Dance Celebration“ in Lyon 2004, which was filmed and broadcast by Arte. “Das letzte Duett“ with Bettina Thiel and Ingo Reulecke was produced in 2006 in collaboration with the Staatsballett Berlin. That following year, „Tales of the Funky“ – a piece with young dancers about hip-hop, commerce and casting shows . premiered at the Sophiensaele in Berlin. BERLIN GOGOS – Agency for Contemporary GoGo Dancing was founded in 2007 and has since spawned various formats and presentations. In 2008, Winkler continued his work with young dancers in “Saal A” and began a new series of work with “Posed” that questions the fundamental framework of performance. In May this year, he was commissioned to develop a piece for the Toronto Dance Theatre and in November, “A Taste of Ra” premieres at the Sophiensaele in Berlin. Ёd physical theatre Ёd physical theatre was created in 2005 by three independent dancers – Alice Panchenko, Artem Ignatiev and Alexander Lyubashin. Ёd physical theatre is a group of dancers who act as directors and choreographers of their own performances. RACHID OURAMDANE / France Migrazia / Kirov RACHID OURAMDANE Ever since his first projects in the framework of the association Fin novembre he directed with Julie Nioche from 1996 to 2006, Rachid Ouramdane has been dealing with singularity. His performances probe the emotional and imaginary worlds of whomever he encounters. These shows take shape through the discovery of each person’s uniqueness, where every encounter gives rise to a different dialogue. The ever-present video images serve as an extension of the other, giving us access into his/her mental space. The image sets up a dialogue between individuals and their doubles. Such devices enable Rachid Ouramdane to get in touch with the other’s subjectivity and imagination. From 1996 to 1998, he created 3 avenue de l’espérance, Des gens de passage and Les absents ont toujours tort. Between 1999 and 2000, he worked on the project Aux bords des métaphores, which portrayed a ‘videographically modified body’ through the two fold presence of bodies onstage and onscreen. The aim was to question the change in our perception of intimacy juxtaposed with the proliferation of images in our daily life. In 2001, he created De Arbitre à Zébra, in collaboration with the community of boxers, wrestlers and catchers of the city of Reims, in the framework of the company’s residency at the Manège de Reims from 2000 to 2004. The nature of Ouramdane’s interdisciplinary projects has led to collaboration with other cultural bodies such as the FRAC Champagne Ardennes, giving life to projects at the crossroads of visual arts and dance, such as Structure Multifonction created with Christian Rizzo and Nicolas Floc’h in 2001. In 2002, he proposed a vocal performance Face cachée, then he created the project +ou – là which examined the film-television genesis of our current criteria for reading the representations that surround us. It also probed the deadliness underlying most of the icons that make up our collective imagination. The same year, he signed with Christian Rizzo the solo Skull*cult in the framework of the Vif du sujet / Festival d’Avignon. From 2003 to 2005, he worked on a collective project, Al’oeil nu,which dealt with locating and creating links between public space and artistic gestures, and proposed a rereading of the structures embedded in our cinematographic memory, by way of an interplay of echoes. The interdisciplinary and performance-based aspect of Rachid Ouramdane’sprojects has prompted him to pursue his work within a residency in Paris at the Ménagerie de Verre from 2005 to 2007. Ouramdane is deeply committed to this experimentation and research site, which provides a natural venue for his projects and inquiry. Numerous projects have grappled with the construction of contemporary identities enmeshed with the modernization of our societies, and with the reconfiguration caused by geo-cultural upheaval. This inquiry was sharpened for the 2004 solo Les morts pudiques, a sort of self-portrait made out of history-fragments found on the net. This solo marked the beginning of a series of solo pieces within various shows. Following several work residencies in Brazil, Ouramdane created Cover, consisting of four solos, for Brazilian artists. In addition, he joined forces with the Bonlieu Scène Nationale of Annecy, andwent on to premiere most of his shows at this major national theater. As a guest artist at the Ballet de l’Opéra de Lyon, he created Superstars,consisting of seven solos. The dancers from the Ballet who took part were of diverse nationalities. In 2006, he created Un garçon debout, a solo show performed by writer/director Pascal Rambert. In 2007, Rachid Ouramdane created L’A. as a venue for artistic exploration of contemporary identities. Its core concern is about encountering the other. Since this date, upon invitation by Pascal Rambert, Rachid Ouramdane has been currently an associate artist at the Théâtre 2 Gennevilliers. Drawing on his exploration of identity, his various projects have real bearing on Gennevilliers. He also works in collaboration with the theater’s team to develop new forms of encounters, specific to each creation, while intertwining these projects with the everyday life of the city. His show Surface de réparation, for eight young athletes from Gennevilliers, tackles the sports gesture in order to reveal the underlying intimacy that connects these teenagers to their sport. In 2007, he traveled a lot to Vietnam in the footsteps of my father’s military route during the Indochina war. Then he created Far... (Loin... french title) in 2008 with fragments of texts and interviews he collected diring his travels. In parallel to designing projects, Rachid Ouramdane is involved in education. He receives frequent invitations in France and abroad to conduct artistic research workshops and to moderate international artistic encounters (Russia, Romania, Netherlands, Brazil, United States…). Migrazia «Migrazia» was created by Irina Brezhneva in 2001 at Kirov State Theatre “Theatre on Spasskaya”. “Migration” presents its own performances regularly as well as takes part in many projects of “Theatre on Spasskaya”. Company participates in international and regional festivals where becomes prize winner for its contemporary dance productions. LOTTE SIGH / Denmark Panthera/ Kazan LOTTE SIGH Lotte has always been fascinated by the complex relations between human beings and the society we function in. In the portraying of this relation she attempts to work with an aesthetic and story telling which puts it into a larger perspective. At the same time she focuses closely on showing the dynamics which have a great part in shaping the world that we live in. Her inspiration is drawn from confrontations between human beings. Lotte is interested in humans, seen and perceived within the large scale perspective of society but also on a more intimate and basic level. All this inspired by the paradoxes of the world as well as everyday dialogue. Lotte Sigh is engaged in exploring the amazingly nuanced dynamics and perspectives which can be channeled through conscious bodies and cooperating art forms; the underlying emotions, intentions and thoughts that exist behind each movement and the communications between the performers on stage. Starting with a sharply defined theme the aim of her focus is often to enable the creation of an ambiguous portrait. She seeks to push the boundaries of how open the performance structure (through which the theme is illuminated) can be without loosing sight of its focal point. How clear can the underlying theme be portrayed while still retaining its ambiguity. Her choreographies include the duets Remind Me and Die Fence, the ensemble pieces Eyes of a Blue Wall, ConServes, Race and JINK#2. As well as I have choreographed for the opera Aria composed by Paul Schwartz and created several dance films. Spring 2010 Lotte Sigh is choreographing for the apprentices at The Royal Danish Ballet, creating the dance film You and Me and choreographing for The Danish National Museum of Contemporary Art. As a contemporary dancer Lotte has worked with choreographers such as; Marcello Pereira, Brazil, Seraina Tall, Switzerland and Leda Meredith, Erika Hassan, Joe Alegado and John Brooks from the US. In addition to her stage experience as a dancer, Lotte has participated in various shows and advertising both as a dancer and as a choreographer. Lotte has taught at The Royal Danish Ballet, The Bartholin Seminar at The Royal Danish Theatre and Dansens Hus in Copenhagen, Ballet Academie in Lyon, France, GDT in Oslo, Norway as well as various dance company classes. Since 2005 she has been artistic director of Copenhagen Contemporary Dance School together with Morten Innstrand from Norway. Lotte is educated from Rotterdamse Dans Akademie, at Dance Loft in Switzerland, and by choreographer Jennifer Muller in New York. In 2000 she was awarded a scholarship for the Danceweb programme under Impulstanz in Vienna. Panthera «Panthera» was founded in 1993. Company workes on the verge of contemporary dance, non-verbal theatre, ballet and gymnastics. In different periods of their work, dancers were attracted by various dance techniques and directions as well as made profound researches in many fields of contemporary dance. KARINE PONTIES / Belgium Dialog Dance / Kostroma KARINE PONTIES Karine Ponties was born in Castres, France in 1967. Her foray into dance began with studies at the Juan Tena and Ramon Soler dance schools in Barcelona, and culminated in her matriculation from Maurice Bejart’s Mudra school in Brussels in 1986. She has worked as a performer with several companies, notably Frédéric Flamand, Michèle Noiret, Nicole Mossoux/Patrick Bonté and Pierre Droulers among others, in addition to founding Dame de Pic/Cie Karine Ponties in 1995. In 1996 Ponties was honored with the laureate of the 4th Edition of Les Pépinières européennes for young artists. In her nearly 15 years of choreographing for the company, she has created over twenty works including commissions for the Helsinki Theater Dance department, Het Muziek Lod in Ghent, the D.C.M. Foundation in Bucharest, Montréal Danse, La Petite Fabrique in Paris, Transdance Europe 03-06; she was most recently one of 7 European Union choreographers selected to participate in the EU-Russian contemporary dance project, INTRADANCE (2010). Ponties’ award-winning collaborations with visual artist Thierry Van Hasselt - Brutalis: 2002 société des auteurs et compositeurs dramatique [SACD] choreographic prize; and Holeulone: named 2007 best production of dance of the French community in Belgium – highlight the company’s commitment to interdisciplinary exploration. Other notable collaborations include composer Jan Kuijken and Het muziek Lod (Les Taroupes 2000, Capture d’un caillot 2001, Brutalis 2002); composer Dominique Pauwels and Het muziek Lod (Chant d’mour d’une grande singe 2005, Mi non sabir 2004, Desirabilis 2004, Holeulone 2006, Boreas 2007), visual artist Lawrence Malstaf (Boreas 2007) and visual artist and illustrator Stefano Ricci (Des Taureaux dans la tête 2007, Fidèle à l’éclair / havran 2008, and Humus Vertebra 2009). Her newest project, created in collaboration with “painter of novels”, Beatrice Alemagne will premiere in 2010/2011. Known for works with a flair for the absurd, exploring intimacy and interlacing relationships, Ponties choreographies have toured nationally and internationally, notably at the Festival de la Cité (Lausanne), Tanec Praha ( Prague), Julidans-Theatre Bellevue (Amsterdam), Szene Festival (Salzbourg), Dublin Fringe Festival, Centre Culturel Wallonie-Bruxelles (Paris), Neuer Tanz Festival (Freiburg), Dansstationen (Mälmo), City Teater Reykjavik (Iceland), Plesni Theater (Lublijiana), Les Hivernales d’Avignon, Les Brigittines (Brussels), Agora de la danse (Montreal), O Espaco do Tempo (Portugal), Pavillon Noir-national choreographic center of Aix-en-Provence, One Yellow Rabbit Festival (Calgary), Théâtre des Salins- scène nationale (Martigues), Festival de Marseille (France), International Dance Festival of Cochabamamba (Bolivia), and the National Theater of Korea (Seoul), Orléans-théâtre de la ville, Mimos Festival (Perigueux), Uzès Danse, Kaaitheater (Brussels), Dance New Amsterdam (New York), Festival de Otoño (Madrid), Dance Week Festival (Zagreb), Vooruit (Ghent), Théâtre de la cite (Paris). Her commitment to risk taking and balancing equilibrium with disequilibrium is evident in the workshops she has conducted over the years. Dame de Pic is in residence at Théatre Les Tanneurs in Brussels and at Charleroi/Danses, , Choreographic Center of the Belgian French Community. The Company is subsidized by the Minister of Culture of the French Community Wallonie-Bruxelles and receives regular touring support from the Wallonie Brussels International. Dialog Dance Dialog Dance appeared fro the first time on the stage of Kostroma drama theater by A.Ostrovsky in 2003. Company's core is mad of 6 dancers, but they are open for creative cooperation. In fact they produce a lot of performances with invited dancers, choreographers and directors.