GAUTHIER DANCE // DANCE COMPANY THEATERHAUS STUTTGART

BIOGRAPHIES

Gauthier Dance // Dance Company Theaterhaus Stuttgart is a young, dynamic company of eight highly individual, versatile dancers, directed by the dancer, choreographer and musician Eric Gauthier. As the Resident Dance Company of the Theaterhaus Stuttgart, Gauthier Dance presents contemporary dance by Gauthier and internationally acclaimed choreographers such as Mauro Bigonzetti, William Forsythe, Jiří Kylián, Itzik Galili, Paul Lightfoot/Sol Léon and Hans van Manen. Gauthier who, in February, will be awarded the German Dance Prize »Future« 2011 for choreography, is known for his highly original, humorous choreographies. Founded in October 2007, Gauthier Dance has quickly become one of Germany's hottest up and coming contemporary dance companies. For the 2009-2010 season alone, Gauthier Dance was booked for 15 national and international touring appearances including Munich, Bonn, Luxembourg, Sofia, Linz and Houston. In addition to sold out performances at home, Gauthier Dance undertakes an extensive Educational and Community Outreach programme, the first of its kind in Germany: Gauthier Dance Mobile. With a specially tailored repertory of works which can be presented in small performing spaces, Gauthier Dance Mobile brings contemporary dance to children and teens in community centres as well as to a segment of our society which would otherwise have no opportunity to enjoy this art form.

The Theaterhaus Stuttgart, which opened its doors in 1985, is a unique cultural center which presents theatre, music, dance, cabaret, comedy, literature, political discussions and more on a total of four stages. The Theaterhaus has a long tradition of producing and presenting dance-theatre; best known are the collaborations between Marcia Haydée and Ismail Ivo. The Theaterhaus has also traditionally been and continues to be, a venue for the free-lance dance scene in Stuttgart. Gauthier Dance is the first resident contemporary dance company in Stuttgart.

Eric Gauthier
artistic director and choreographer, Gauthier Dance // Dance Company Theaterhaus Stuttgart

It only took Eric Gauthier three years to make it from charismatic soloist of the Stuttgart Ballet to high-profile international choreographer and head of his own company Gauthier Dance // Dance Company Theaterhaus Stuttgart. In January 2008, the first première of Gauthier Dance, SIX PACK, set the tone for four exceptionally successful years. The company does not only present pieces by famous international choreographers such as Mauro Bigonzetti, William Forsythe, Jiří Kylián, Itzik Galili, Paul Lightfoot/Sol León or Hans van Manen, but also Gauthier´s own critically acclaimed pieces, including M.M. (2009) and Orchestra of Wolves (2009). It is on the strength of these two productions that, in February 2011, Eric Gauthier was awarded the prestigious German Dance Price »Future« in the category choreography. In addition, he created pieces for Staatsballett Berlin, Saarbrücken Ballett and Scapino Ballet Rotterdam and is much in demand as dancer and choreographer for international galas between Dortmund, Munich, Houston, Madrid and Seoul. With his original, humorous and accessible choreographies Gauthier has won a new young audience for contemporary dance. With record speed, the resident dance company of Theaterhaus Stuttgart did not only establish itself in the German dance scene but became an international shooting star at the same time. The 31 guest appearances of the season 2010/11 alone include Munich, Essen, Karlsruhe, Luxembourg, Innsbruck (Austria), Bolzano (Italy) and the Festival des Arts de Saint-Sauveur (Canada). In summer 2010, Gauthier Dance saw the successful world première of their first full-length piece, Christian Spuck´s POPPEA//POPPEA, which was included among the 10 top productions of the season 2009/10 by the British specialist magazine Dance Europe. Gauthier Dance is very much dedicated to breaking new ground. Their programme Out of the Box II included a stereoscopic version of Gauthier's choreography Threesome which was also screened as a supporting film to Wim Wenders' PINA and seen by more than 40,000 German arthouse cinemagoers. In addition to sold out performances at home, Gauthier Dance undertakes an extensive Educational and Community Outreach programme, the first of its kind in Germany: Gauthier Dance Mobile. With a specially tailored repertory of works which can be presented in small performing spaces, Gauthier Dance Mobile brings contemporary dance to children and teens in community centres as well as to a segment of our society which would otherwise have no opportunity to enjoy this art form.

In 2001, parallel to his dancing career, Gauthier formed a band together with three other musicians for which he composes, writes lyrics, sings and plays the guitar. Royal Tease, playing many concerts in the Stuttgart region, has released two CDs. Morning after Songs won the Best Songwriter of Baden-Wuerttemberg Award in 2004.



Gauthier's career before Gauthier Dance // Dance Company Theaterhaus Stuttgart

Eric Gauthier was born in Montréal, Canada. He received his initial ballet training at the school of Les Grands Ballets Canadiens in his hometown and subsequently studied at the National Ballet School in Toronto, where he also received music and voice lessons. In 1995 he became an apprentice with the National Ballet of Canada under the artistic direction of Reid Anderson.
When Reid Anderson was appointed Director of the Stuttgart Ballet in 1996, he invited Eric Gauthier to come to Stuttgart with him as a member of the corps de ballet. In 2000 Eric Gauthier was named demi-soloist, and in 2002 he was promoted to Soloist.

In Stuttgart Gauthier danced many classical and neo-classical roles including Alain in Frederick Ashton's La fille mal gardée, Mercutio in John Cranko's Romeo and Juliet, the Joker in Cranko's Jeu de Cartes as well as in works by George Balanchine and Kenneth MacMillan. It was his abilities as a contemporary dancer, however, which were instantly noted by every choreographer who worked with the Stuttgart Ballet between 1996 and 2006. For ten years, Eric Gauthier danced in almost every world or company premiere, and in so doing he danced the works of, or worked directly with, an impressive roster of internationally acclaimed choreographers including Hans van Manen, John Neumeier, Jiří Kylián, Nacho Duato, Paul Lightfoot, Uwe Scholz and James Kudelka. He especially made a name for himself as an outstanding interpreter of the works of William Forsythe, dancing five of his ballets and working often with the American choreographer both in Stuttgart and in Frankfurt. During his time with the Stuttgart Ballet (1996-2007), Gauthier also inspired an impressive list of choreographers to create roles for him, most especially Christian Spuck, resident choreographer of the Stuttgart Ballet and appointed director of Zurich Ballet. Gauthier danced in eight world premieres by Spuck who created the role of Schigolch in Lulu and the leading role of the painter in ...la peau blanche... for him. Other choreographers who have created roles for Eric Gauthier include Mauro Bigonzetti, Itzik Galili, Kevin O'Day, Marguerite Donlon, Daniela Kurz, Dominique Dumais, Nicolo Fonte, Matjash Mrozewski, Douglas Lee, Marc Spradling, James Sutherland, Pascal Touzeau and Trey McIntyre.

In 2005 Gauthier made his debut as a choreographer in the prestigious „Young Choreographers“ programme of the Stuttgart-based Noverre Society. In 2006 he was invited back and created Ballet 101, which won the Critics as well as Audience Prizes at the 21. International Choreographic Competition in Hanover, Germany. In 2007, Gauthier created Air Guitar for the Noverre Society. In September 2007, shortly after leaving the Stuttgart Ballet, Eric Gauthier starred alongside the legendary dancer Egon Madsen in Christian Spuck's Don Q., more than a danced review about the loss of reality which Spuck created for the Theaterhaus Stuttgart. The world premiere was a "sensational success" in the words of the critic Hartmut Regitz of "ballet-tanz" magazine. Don Q. has toured to Austria, Italy, Spain, Luxembourg, Korea and many cities in Germany.




BALLETT MASTER and DANCERS

Renato Arismendi, Ballet Master, was born in Chile, trained at the school of Maria Elena Scheuch and joined the Chilean National Ballet in 1980. One year later, upon the invitation of Ivan Nagy, he joined the Ballet de Santiago at the Chilean Opera House where he danced the entire repertory for nine years. In 1990 he joined Ballett Ausgburg in Germany and from 1996 to 2001 he was a soloist at the Balletttheater in Munich under the direction of Phillip Taylor. During the course of his performing career Mr. Arismendi danced soloist roles in works by George Balanchine, John Cranko, Jiri Kylian, Ben Stevenson, Jack Carter, Andre Prokovsky, Ronald Hynd, Choo Sang Go, Uwe Scholz among others. From 2001 to 2007 he was a guest ballet teacher for the Balletttheater München, the Croatian National Ballet, the Slovenian Ballet and the Ballet de Santiago. Mr. Arismendi has been the Ballet Master of Gauthier Dance since the company's founding in 2007.


Maria Deller-Takemura was born in Japan and received her training at the Royal Ballet School during which time she performed in works by Sir Frederick Ashton and Sir Kenneth Kenneth MacMillan. In addition, she studied at the Central School of Ballet in England. She had her first engagements with Northern Ballet Theatre and the Hong Kong Ballet and then danced at the State Theater in Karlsruhe from 2004 to 2006 in works by Sir Peter Wright, Hans van Manen and Davide Bombana. From 2006 to 2009 she danced with the Ballet of the Aalto Theater in Essen in works by Christian Spuck and Stephan Thoss. Maria joined Gauthier Dance in 2009.

Anna Süheyla Harms, born in Australia, received her dance education in ballet, modern dance, improvisation, tap, jazz and ethnic dances at the Maryke Dance Academy, at the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School (VCASS) in Melbourne and at the Ecole-Atelier Rudra-Béjart in Lausanne. Dancing in choreographies by Maurice Béjart she toured across Europe with the Béjart Ballet Lausanne and the École-atelier RUDRA. In 2008 she joined the Chemnitz Ballet under the direction of Lode Devos. She danced, often as a soloist, in his choreographies as well as in the pieces by Jochen Ulrich and Annabelle Lopez Ochoa. Besides her dancing career, Anna Süheyla Harms has extended her interest in music and choreography by co-producing and performing in various groups and productions. In March 2011 she became a member of Gauthier Dance.


Marianne Illig was born in France and trained at the Conservatory in Lyon as well as at the Heinz-Bosl Foundation in Munich. During the 2003-2004 season, she was an apprentice with the Stuttgart Ballet under the direction of Reid Anderson and from 2004 until 2007 she was a member of the Corps de Ballet of the Berlin Ballet under the direction of Vladimir Malakhov. She has danced works by George Blanchine, Maurice Béjart, John Cranko, William Forsythe, Kenneth MacMillan, John Neumeier and David Parsons. In October 2007, Marianne joined Gauthier Dance where she dances works by Mauro Bigonzetti, Itzik Galili, Eric Gauthier, Paul Lightfoot/Sol Léon, Charles Moulton and Philip Taylor.


Isabelle Pollet-Villard was born in France and received her training at the Conservatory in Bordeaux, at the School of Rosella Hightower in Cannes and at the Ballett Academy in Cologne. From 1994 to 1998 she danced at the State Theater in Wiesbaden and from 1998 until 2004 with the Zurich Ballett under the direction of Heinz Spoerli. From 2004 until 2009 she was a member of the Bavarian State Ballet, where she danced works by John Cranko, George Balanchine, John Neumeier, Jiri Kylian, William Forsythe, Lucinda Childs and Jacopo Godani. Isabelle joined Gauthier Dance in 2009.


Garazi Perez Oloriz was born in northern Spain and received her training at the Conservatories of Pamplona and Barcelona. From 2007 until 2009 she was a member of Dantzaz Konpainia (formerly Ballet Biaritz Junior Company) in San Sebastian where she danced works by Christophe Garcia, Itzik Galili, Hilde Koch und Thierry Malandain. Garazi joined Gauthier Dance in 2009.

Anneleen Dedroog, born in Belgium, started her dance education at the Balletschool Marijke Clijsters. In 2003 she decided to study at the Royal Ballet School of Antwerp. From there she was engaged at Dantzaz Konpainia, the young contemporary dance company in San Sebastián, Spain. She danced works by Sophie Antoine, Itzik Galili, Eric Gauthier, Hilde Koch, Jone San Martin, Kudo Satoshi and Lukas Timulak. Her talent was spotted by Eric Gauthier during a gala – and this is how she was engaged for the Dance Company Theaterhaus Stuttgart in September 2011.

Armando Braswell was born in New York and received his dance training at the Alvin Ailey School, The School of American Ballet and the Julliard School. In the US, he danced with the SUNY Purchase Dance Corps, the Julliard Dance Ensemble and the Metropolitan Opera Ballet in works by George Balanchine, Ronald K. Brown, Nacho Duato, Eliot Feld, William Forsythe, José Limon, Lin Hwai-Min, Mark Morris and Stanton Welsh. In 2006, he joined the Ballet Theater Munich where he danced works by Richard Alston, Carolyn Carlson, Anthony Rizzi and Philip Taylor. In October 2007, Armando joined Gauthier Dance where he dances works by Mauro Bigonzetti, Eric Gauthier, Paul Lightfoot/Sol Léon, Hans van Manen and Charles Moulton. In 2009 he choreographed On My Side for Gauthier Dance as well as Duet for Six for the "Young Choreographers" series of the Noverre Society Stuttgart.

William Moragas was born in Brazil and trained in his native country as well as at the Cuban National Ballet School in Havana and the Academy of Dance in Mannheim, Germany. He has danced with the Ballet of the Semperoper in Dresden, the State Theater in Karlsruhe, and the Ballets of the Municipal Theaters in Koblenz and Chemnitz. His repertory includes works by John Cranko, Hans van Manen, Robert North, Uwe Scholz, Christian Spuck, Glen Tetley, Jorma Uotinen, Vladimir Vasiliev, Richard Wherlock and Peter Wright. In October 2007, William joined Gauthier Dance where he dances works by Mauro Bigonzetti, Itzik Galili, Eric Gauthier, Jiri Kylian, Paul Lightfoot/Sol Léon, Hans van Manen and Charles Moulton.

Rosario Guerra was born in Naples and received his training in classical and contemporary dance at the Scuola del Balletto di Toscana in Florence. Straightaway he became a member of Junior Balletto di Toscana and danced in choreographies by Mauro Bigonzetti, Eugenio Scilgliano, Michele Merola, Fabrizio Monteverde, Arianna Benedetti and Cristina Rizzo. Between 2009 and 2010 he was a solist with Balletto Teatro di Torino. Touring appearances in choreographies by Matteo Levaggi took him as far as New York. Now, having joined Gauthier Dance, he calls Stuttgart his new home.

Florian Lochner auditioned successfully with Gauthier Dance even before he graduated with the Master of Arts from the Academy of Dance in Mannheim in 2011. During his studies he gathered stage experience in works by Philip Taylor, Eric Gauthier, Youri Vámos and Christopher Wheeldon. In addition, Florian expanded his contemporary repertoire at the Alvin Ailey School in New York City and at the Holland Dance Festival in Den Haag.

Leandër Veizi trained at the National Ballet Academy in Tirana, Albania. From there he was immediately taken on by the Tirana Opera where he was cast as a soloist right in his first season. In 2007 Leander received a scholarship for the Scuola del Balletto di Toscana – and, again, was taken on by the Junior Balletto di Toscana, dancing in works by Mauro Bigonzetti, Fabrizio Monteverde, Cristina Rizzo and Eugenio Scigliano/Arianna Benedetti. After a few months in the ballet of the Theater Vorpommern in Greifswald, Eric Gauthier discovered him for Gauthier Dance//Dance Company Theaterhaus Stuttgart in 2011

to the top