Jacopo Godani

Internationally acclaimed choreographer Jacopo Godani was born in La Spezia, Italy, where he began studying classical ballet and modern dance techniques in 1984 at the Centro studi Danza under the direction of Loredana Rovagna. He also pursued studies in visual arts for three years at the Fine Arts School of Carrara. In 1986, Godani was accepted to further his studies at Maurice Béjart’s international dance centre Mudra in Brussels. Godani made his professional debut in 1988 performing with several Paris-based contemporary dance companies. In 1990, Godani formed his own Brussels-based company and began his choreographic career. His work in Brussels was produced by the theatre L’Atelier Saint-Anne and was supported by the Théâtre Plateau. From 1991 to 2000, Godani has been a leading soloist with William Forsythe’s Ballet Frankfurt and has collaborated with Forsythe on the choreographic creation of many of Ballet Frankfurt’s most representative pieces. Godani developed his career as a choreographer creating original works for a vast range of international companies such as Royal Ballet Covent Garden, Bayerisches Staatsballett, Compañía Nacional de Danza, Nederlands Dans Theater, Royal Danish Ballet, Ballet British Columbia, Le Ballet du Capitole de Toulouse, Corpo di ballo del Teatro alla Scala, Royal Ballet of Flanders, Ballet de l’Opera national du Rhin, Finnish National Ballet, Semperoper Ballett, Sydney Dance Company, “The Project” Israeli Opera & Suzanne Dellal Centre, Het Nationale Ballet, Aterballetto, Les Ballets de Monte Carlo, Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet.

As of season 2015/16, Jacopo Godani has been appointed Artistic Director and Choreographer of the Dresden Frankfurt Dance Company, following the great legacy of the Frankfurt Ballett and the later Forsythe Company. In a matter of three seasons, he evolved the ballet and propelled it to the top of the international dance scene. Under his direction, the Dresden Frankfurt Dance Company has not only gained great recognition among its German audience but is also widely recognized by the international press as one of the most important companies of the international art scene . Following the opening performances of the world-renowned Grec Festival Barcelona in 2017, the newspaper El Mundo described the work of Godani as “a form of art that is entirely contemporary and revolutionary, without losing the very attributes that define its essence: technical virtuosity and pathos“.

Godani is perceived as a multi-talented artist as he conceives all stages of his work: from the initial choreography through to designing the spaces, environments and stage settings in which his creations are being performed, writing texts and concepts for his dramaturgical work, designing the costumes, engineering and developing innovative ways of using lighting, video and projections, and creates/edits music for some of his pieces. Godani strives for a collective of like-minded professionals to collaborate on the development of original concepts that require a creative and innovative concept to reflect the progressive perspective of our contemporary world.

Photo © Rahi Rezvani