Sydney Dance Company has announced that guest choreographer Jacopo Godani has been proposed as successor to the position of Artistic Director for one of the world’s most venerated contemporary dance companies, The Forsythe Company.
Godani is currently in Sydney overseeing Sydney Dance Company’s re-staging of his 2011 work, Raw Models, as part of their upcoming season of Interplay showing in Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne March to May 2014.
The City of Dresden announced their proposal for a successor to the position of Artistic Director for The Forsythe Company. Italian born choreographer Jacopo Godani, a long time dancer and collaborator with Forsythe’s Ballett Frankfurt, currently in residence with Sydney Dance Company in Sydney, Australia, has been proposed for the position.
Pending government approvals it is anticipated that Godani will commence his artistic leadership of The Forsythe Company in September 2015.
Born in La Spezia, Liguria, Italy, Godani began studying classical ballet and modern dance techniques in 1984 at the Centro Studi Danza of La Spezia. He made his professional debut in 1988 performing with several Paris-based contemporary dance companies. In 1990 he formed his own Brussels-based company and began his choreographic career.
From 1991 to 2000, Godani was a leading soloist with William Forsythe’s Ballett Frankfurt and during this period also collaborated with Forsythe on the choreographic creation of many of Ballett Frankfurt’s most representative pieces.
In 2011 Godani was commissioned by Sydney Dance Company Artistic Director Rafael Bonachela to create a new work on his dancers. Raw Models, described by The Australian as “…super sleek and sexy” premiered at Sydney Theatre in March of that year as part of Sydney Dance Company’s season Shared Frequencies, to audience and critical acclaim.
Godani is currently back in the country overseeing the re-staging of the piece with a new cast of dancers, as part of Sydney Dance Company’s season of Interplay, opening at Sydney Theatre on 15 March, ahead of a Canberra premiere on 10 April and Melbourne premiere on 30 April.
Following the announcement, Godani said, “I am very excited about this possibility to take the reins of one of the world’s most prestigious dance companies and am looking forward to meeting with officials in Dresden on my return at the end of March.”
“Right now I am focused on my piece with Sydney Dance Company for the presentation of Raw Models. It is amazing to be back in Sydney, to be collaborating again with Rafael and his dancers. It is great to see how these young artists have grown over the past three years and also to work with the fresh talent of the new dancers who have joined the Company in that time.”
“Rafael and I have such a great creative understanding. If my appointment in Europe is confirmed, I would love to start an artistic collaboration with the Sydney Dance Company, to discover the potential of these two great companies working together in the future.”
Raw Models will be performed as part of the triple bill Interplay, comprising world premiere works from Sydney Dance Company Artistic Director Rafael Bonachela and Melbourne choreographer Gideon Obarzanek.
For more information, visit: www.sydneydancecompany.com for details.
Image: Jacopo Godani