Angelin Preljocaj
Hi my lovely dancers!
Today I'm going to talk about a famous contemporary choreographer, especially in my region, the south of France, but not only, he's a world-famous dancer and an undisputed GENIUS ! 😍
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ANGELIN PRELJOCAJ, 2019, PHOTO BY JÖRG LETZ |
It all starts with a picture of Nureyev
Angelin Prejlocaj was born in 1957, in the Paris suburbs, to an Albanian family who had immigrated to France. He discovers the dance thanks to a friend who lends him a book with a picture of Nureyev in full jump. As a caption, the young boy can read "Rudolf Nureyev transfigured by dance". "Transfigured? I didn't know what it meant, but if dancing was that thing that could make you so beautiful, so happy, then I wanted to do that too!".
In spite of his family's opposition, he decided to study classical dance and then went on to study contemporary dance with Karin Waehner. In 1980, he flew to New York and was introduced to the Cuningham technique, before completing his training at the National Centre for Contemporary Dance in Angers.
His debut as a choreographer
In 1982 he joined Dominique Bagouet's company in Montpellier. Two years later, he created his first piece Aventures Coloniales, a duet with another choreographer, Michel Kelemenis, then followed with Marché noir, which won an award at the famous Bagnolet Competition. In 1986, he founded his own company and settled in Champigny-sur-Marne, a suburb of Paris.
Collaborations
Prejlocaj regularly collaborates with artists from various fields such as music (Laurent Garnier, Goran Vejvoda, Air...), visual arts (Subodh Gupta), design, fashion (Jean Paul Gaultier), drawing and literature.
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"BLANCHE NEIGE" ("SNOW WHITE") BY ANGELIN PRELJOCAJ, 2016 VERSION, COSTUMES DESIGNED BY JEAN-PAUL GAULTIER |
The "Pavillon Noir" (Black Pavilion)
In 1996, he moved to Aix-en-Provence. The ballet Prejlocaj becomes the National Choreographic Centre of Aix-en-Provence. Ten years later, the company, composed of twenty-six permanent dancers, finally finds a haven for creation and dissemination. Designed by the architect Rudy Ricciotti, the Pavillon Noir, a majestic building of iron, concrete and glass, opens its doors in September 2006. 3,000 square meters dedicated to dance!
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LE PAVILLON NOIR, AIX EN PROVENCE, SOUTH OF FRANCE |
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PROFESSIONAL DANCERS INSIDE THE "PAVILLON NOIR"
A little anecdote: in 1990, he revisited Romeo and Juliet by teaming up with the designer Enki Bilal, who created sets and costumes.
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Great biography, I am happy to have discovered this man and the studio of aix en provence is magnificent.
ReplyDeleteJe viens du sud de la France aussi, j'adore ce danseur, très content de voir que tu le connais ! Très bel article qui le reflète parfaitement.
ReplyDeleteHi Héléna, I love Angelin Preljocaj. He is a truly a magnificent choreographer. I had the chance to do an internship at the "Pavillon noir", it's really a perfect place to dance. Thank's, I learned more about him through this article.
ReplyDeleteC'est vrai que c'est un sacré artiste. Je viens d'Aix-en-Provence et j'ai eu l'occasion de danser au Pavillon Noir, quel belle expérience! J'adore ses spectacles et j'y suis abonnée. Je les conseille. J'attends le prochain article sur Josette Baïz, une chorégraphe Aixoise talentueuse également!
ReplyDeleteJ'adore Preljocaj, un chorégraphe si talentueux mais avant tout un grand danseur ! Nous pouvons être fiers d'avoir un chorégraphe de renom dans notre belle région !
ReplyDeleteArticle très intéressant qui précise et détaille parfaitement la vie de ce célèbre danseur contemporain. Je me sens d’autant plus concernée par cet article que je viens d’Aix-en-Provence et que le pavillon noir est le reflet même de la vie artistique rempli de grands talents !
ReplyDeleteCoucou Héléna, je tenais tout d’abord à te féliciter pour ton travail ! J’adore ces petits bouts d’histoires que tu nous racontes ici. Je suis ravie de découvrir l’histoire très touchante d’Angelin Preljocaj ; danseur exceptionnel qui laisse ses traces sur notre belle ville d’Aix-en-Provence.
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