DIAVOLO DANCE TROUPE
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Diavolo dancers defy gravity. |
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Integrating dance, gymnastics, and acting to
explore the ways that individuals behave in their environment,
Diavolo is a Los Angeles based company found in 1992 by Jacques
Heim.
Jacques Heim earned his BFA in Theatre, Dance,
and Film from Middlebury College, and in 1989, his MFA in Choreography
from California Institute for the Arts. Three years later he founded
the Diavolo Dance Theatre. Heim describes his work as "investigat[ing]
the latent absurdities of contemporary human life and seek[ing] to
recontextualize those absurdities through the body, exploring the
influences of the environment, possessions and relationships."
The dance company creates their collaborative
performances under Heim's direction. Their sets are outrageous,
oversized, and surrealistic while integrating everyday items like
doors, chairs, and stairways as back-drops. Their dramatic movements
create metaphors for "the challenge of relationships, the absurdities
of life and the struggle to maintain our humanity in an increasingly
technological world".
The company has over a dozen works in repertoire
that range anywhere from 10 minutes to 75 minutes in length. Most
travel easily and can be adapted to large and small scale venues.
The company has also developed a residency program
that offers workshops which coincide with their dance performances.
They also offer a Community Outreach program that includes various
workshops for anyone, ranging from small children to professionals.
Their programs encourage risk-taking, trust, and teamwork.
Heim states, "Building a team that allows for complete trust has
been essential to creating a kind of work where dancers are inspired
to leap, fly and fall".
One year after its inception, the company was
nominated for two Lester Horton Awards in Los Angeles, and two years
later they made their European debut at the Edinburgh Festival where
they were named Best of the Fest by The London Independent and Critic's
Choice by The Guardian. In 1995 they received three Lester Horton Awards
for one of their works Tete en L'Air. Also in 1997, Jacques Heim was
recognized by the Los Angeles Times as one of the "36 Faces to Watch."
Since then they have been nominated for several more awards including
four Lester Horton awards in 2001 and two in 2003. For more information
you can go to their website at:
www.diavolo.org
Read the transcript
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