Izmir Festival > Program > 97 years of Dance Tradition “FOLKWANG TANZSTUDIO”

 

97 years of Dance Tradition

FOLKWANG TANZSTUDIO

Prof. Rodolpho Leoni, artistic director

 

“WONDERFUL LIFE”

Choreography by Rodolpho Leoni

 

FOLKWANG TANZSTUDIO

Folkwang Tanzstudio (FTS) can look back on more than 90 years of successful history. It was founded in 1928 by Kurt Jooss, who made it world famous in 1932 when it was still under the name of “Folkwang Tanzbühne”, presenting  “The Green

Table” at the international choreography competition in Paris.

Choreographers such as Pina Bausch, Susanne Linke, Reinhild Hoffmann, Urs Dietrich, Mark Sieczkarek and Henrietta Horn have had a decisive influence on FTS in later years. FTS was under the artistic direction of Pina Bausch until her death in June 2009. Thereafter, Lutz Förster and Rodolpho Leoni jointly but only temporarily took over this task. Since October 2012, Rodolpho Leoni has been the company’s sole artistic director.

FTS is an internationally active company of graduates with currently 10 professional dancers from all over the world. It belongs to the Institute for Contemporary Dance at the Folkwang University of the Arts. As a dance company which specifically targets graduates of professional dance training, FTS fulfils the important function of supporting young dancers on their way into the professional field of dance.

Guest performances and co-productions with renowned dance / theatre institutions as well as festivals are inherent parts of the artistic work of FTS. Choreographers such as Michiel Vandevelde, Reinhild Hoffmann, David Hernandez, Morena Nascimento and Renate Graziadei have worked with the company in recent years.

In addition to creations with choreographers from a diversity of backgrounds, the second focus of FTS is on its cooperation with the Master’s Degree Program in Dance Composition/Choreography. As part of their degree, students of choreography have the opportunity to create their Master’s projects with the Folkwang Tanzstudio. This enables the students to practise and experience the handling and complexity of choreography during their studies.

FTS is characterised by its willingness to experiment, artistic diversity and openness. It continues to carry the idea of ​​its founder Kurt Jooss, - in other words, to look for

the human being in dance, on the stage and in the world.

 

RODOLPHO LEONI, artistic director, choreographer

Rodolpho Leoni was born in Campo Grande (Brazil) in 1963, began his dance studies there in 1978 and, together with other dancers, founded the first contemporary dance company in this region in 1981.

In 1983 he went to São Paulo to study the Graham technique and spent the next two years dancing at the Teatro Brasileiro de Danca. He then continued his studies at the Martha Graham School for Contemporary Dance in New York.

Rodolpho Leoni has lived and worked in Germany since 1988. He has been choreographing his own pieces since 1992 and founded the Rodolpho Leoni dance company in 1996 with the production “Foggy”.

His choreography “Speak” was awarded the German Producer Prize for Choreography (DPC) 2005/06. He choreographed numerous dance pieces for various dance companies, including the Nuremberg Ballet, the St. Gallen Dance Company (Switzerland), the Bremen Dance Theater and the Folkwang Dance Studio.

In December 2006, Rodolpho Leoni was appointed professor of contemporary dance/choreography at the Folkwang University in Essen. He has been the artistic director of the Folkwang Dance Studio since October 2008.

 

“WONDERFUL LIFE”

Choreography: Rodolpho Leoni

Created and danced by: Mateusz Bogdanowicz, Jennie Boultbee, Tullia Francischiello, Gabriel Gaudray Donnio, Yun-Ru Lee, Tzu-Chun Liou, Lucas Lopes Pereira, Julius Olbertz, Djamila Polo, Harrison Rodrigues Gomes dos Santos

Music: Neil Diamond, Imagine Dragons, Black, Elton John/Eminem, Henri Salvador, TaTu, Ed Sheeran, Madonna, Hozier, Bonnie Tyler, Eartha Kitt, Cat Stevens, Nadja

Mladjao/E.M.N & Wasis Diop/Nadja Mladjao

All songs interpreted and sung by Imany

Light: Oliver Semrau

Costumes: Anne Bentgens and Rodolpho Leoni

Sound engineering: Thomas Wacker

Premiere: May 25, 2022, Essen

Duration: approx. 65 minutes

 

Production: Folkwang Dance Studio / Institute for Contemporary Dance

Artistic Direction: Prof. Rodolpho Leoni

Collaboration/organization: Claudia Lüttringhaus

 

For the first time since 2015, Rodolpho Leoni, artistic director of the Folkwang Tanzstudio (FTS), has created a full-length piece for the FTS. With “Wonderful Life” he creates complex sequences that, over the course of the piece, slowly condense into a deep dialogue with the environment, the people in it and their search for understanding. The focus is on the journey itself and not the arrival.

Rodolpho Leoni’s works are like research trips that sometimes explore the origins of

movement and its relationships quickly, sometimes with great caution. The dancers fly over and immerse themselves in a web of spatial references and motivations. They become travelers and, at times, the journey itself. Click here for the trailer: FTS - Rodolpho Leoni: Wonderful life - TRAILER from mehtafilm on Vimeo.

 

Dancers of the Folkwang Tanzstudio (FTS)

 

Mateusz Bogdanowicz

Born 1994, Poland

Mateusz Bogdanowicz began his dance career with hip-hop and learning martial arts. From 2014-2019 he studied at the “National Academy of Theater Arts” in Krakow and graduated with an M.A. in dance with distinction. During this time he worked with various choreographers and dance teachers, including Jacek Łumiński, Jacek Przybyłowicz, Anke Hauerstein, Sylwia Hefczyńska-Lewandowska and participated in many interdisciplinary projects, including with Jerzy Stuhr, John Jack Gallagher, Shi Bo and Błażej Peszek.

Mateusz is the co-founder of the dance association "Imagination Space Center"; in 2019 he was awarded in his hometown Gorzów Wielkopolski for his dance work and commitment to the local community.

From 2019-2021 he completed the M.A. degree in Dance Composition/Choreography at the Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen. During this time he created his own dance pieces, developed dance projects and collaborated with choreographers such as Rodolpho Leoni and Henrietta Horn.

He has been an ensemble member of the Folkwang Tanzstudio since March 2022.

 

Jennifer Boultbee

Born 1994, Great Britain

Jennie Boultbee completed her B.A. in Contemporary Dance at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in 2019 and subsequently completed her M.A. Dance Composition/Interpretation at Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen from 2019 - 21.

She has worked with choreographers such as Henrietta Horn, Rodolpho Leoni, Julie Cunningham, Leah Marojevic, Hagit Yakira and as a performer for visual artists such as Anna Perach and Roxy Herve.

Jennie Boultbee is a member of the women's collective "MassHysteria, which creates and performs live and digital works for "The Place" and "Dampfzentrale Bern", among others. Furthermore, she holds a dance pedagogy diploma in Cecchetti Ballet and has experience in visual arts, including graphic and costume design.

Since September 2021 she has been an ensemble member of the Folkwang Tanzstudio.

 

Tullia Francischiello

Born 1998, Italy

Tullia Francischiello began her training at the dance school "Studio danza 2" in Palermo. After graduating from high school, she went to the "Civica Scuola di teatro Paolo Grassi" in Milan for one year. Afterwards she successfully completed her B.A. dance studies at the Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen.

During her studies she worked with various choreographers, including: Malou Airaudo, Carolyn Carlson, Yohan Stegli, Jan Broeckx, Mario Camacho, Dominique Merci, David Hernandez.

In 2022 she choreographed her first piece, "It was there", which was shown as part of the "Young Choreographers" event in Essen.

She has been a member of the Folkwang Tanzstudio since September 2022.

 

Gabriel Gaudray-Donnio

Born 1999, France

Gabriel Gaudray Donnio started his ballet training in 2009 at “L’Atelier Du Mouvement” in Nantes, France. In 2010, he began his training in ballet and contemporary dance at the “Conservatoire de Nantes” where he obtained his "Diplôme d'Etudes Chorégraphiques (DEC)" in 2017. In 2021, he graduated with a B.A. in dance at the Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen.

During his studies he created his own choreographies and worked with various choreographers such as Rodolfo Araya, Anne Carrie, Ambra Senatore, Dominique Mercy. He was a guest dancer in "Roméo & Juliette" by Hervé Maigret with the Cie NGC25 and in "Boléro" by Maurice Béjart with the Béjart Ballet Lausanne. In 2020, he performed in "Wandering Dunes" by Daphnis Kokkinos in Nida, Lithuania.

Since September 2021 he has been an ensemble member of the Folkwang Tanzstudio.

 

Yun-Ru Lee

Born 1998, Taiwan

Yun-Ru Lee started her education at Wen-Hua Senior High School in Taiwan and studied at the "National Taiwan University of the Arts" in New Taipei City from 2017 -2018. Afterwards she completed her B.A. dance studies at the Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen.During her studies, she worked with various choreographers, including David Hernandez, Heid Weiss and Stephan Brinkmann, and presented her own piece in 2020 as part of the "Young Choreographers" event format.

She has been a member of the Folkwang Tanzstudio since September 2022.

 

Tzu-Chun Liou

Born 2000, Taiwan

Tzu Chun Liou studied dance at Chu-Pei Senior High School in Taiwan from 2015-2018. Afterwards she completed her B.A. dance studies at the Folkwang University of the Arts. During her studies, she worked with various choreographers, including Heidi Weiss, David Hernandez and Stephan Brinkmann.

She is co-founder and choreographer of the project "4 a.m.", which was performed in Taiwan in 2020.

She has been a member of the Folkwang Tanzstudio since September 2022.

 

Julius Olbertz

Born 1992, Germany

At his school in Leverkusen, Julius Olbertz gained his first experience in contemporary dance in 2006 as part of a project with Royston Maldoom. After graduating from high school, he began his dance studies at the Rambert School in London in 2014. In 2019, he completed his M. A. studies at the Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen. Already during his studies he gained many experiences in Germany and abroad, among others as a dancer for Henrietta Horn, Rambert Dance Company, Staatstheater Braunschweig, Tanzmoto Dance Company and as a guest dancer for the Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch.

Since September 2020 he has been an ensemble member of the Folkwang Tanzstudio.

 

Lucas Lopes Pereira

Born 1992, Brazil 

Started dancing in the city of São Paulo, in the technical dance course at ETEC de Artes and at the Núcleo Luz Institute. He danced and created artwork in different dance companies in the city of São Paulo until his arrival in Europe in 2016.

He received a BA in dance from Folkwang University of the Arts, performing choreographies for the Junge Choreographen and developing his own dance projects in Essen.

He performed dance pieces from the choreographers Pina Bausch, Inãki Azpillaga, Morena Nascimento, Ceren Oran, Denise Namura and Pierre Droulers. He also danced at Opera de Metz, Tanzmoto Company and Samadhyana Company. He has been a guest dancer of the Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch since 2019.

Since September 2021 he has been an ensemble member of the Folkwang Tanzstudio.

 

Djamila Polo

Born 1994, Luxembourg

Djamila Polo started her dance education at the age of 7 in Luxembourg. In 2014, she studied one year in „EpseDanse“ in Montpellier (France), finished in 2017 the TIP-education (School for Dance, Performance and Improvisation) in Freiburg (Germany), before she graduated 2021 at the Folkwang UdK in Essen with a B.A in Dance.

During her studies, she showed her own choreographies at festivals through Europe and worked with various choreographers such as Tino Sehgal, Jill Crovisier, Rodolpho Leoni, Kenji Shinoe.

Since September 2021 she has been an ensemble member of the Folkwang Tanzstudio.

 

Harrison Rodrigues

Born 1993, Brazil

Harrison Rodrigues began his dance training in São Paulo at the ETEC de Artes and the Institut Núcleo Luz. After graduating in 2013, he developed his own projects, which received state and private funding. From 2017 to 2022, he completed his B.A. Dance studies at the Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen. During his studies, he worked with various choreographers, including Jill Crovisier, Hakan Sonakalan and Rodolpho Leoni, and developed and participated in projects as a freelance dancer. In the 2022/23 season, he was a dancer at the Nordharzer Städtebundtheater, where he performed in various productions.

He has been a member of the Folkwang Tanzstudio since September 2023.