A Body's Language

The guest on Episode 5 of 'A Body's Language' is Paul Lightfoot. Paul speaks about some of his and Sol's favourite creations, his life, how his first piece of choreography makes him cringe and how he and the original cast of Petit Mort weren't so sure about the creation, until the curtain went up opening night. 

Paul Lightfoot (1966, England) joined Nederlands Dans Theater in 1985, starting as a dancer with NDT 2. Two years later Lightfoot joined NDT 1, where he danced until 2008. During his dancing career, he started choreographing together with Sol León. From September 2011 until August 2020 he also was Artistic Director of the company.

León and Lightfoot have been a choreographer’s duo since 1989 and together they have created more than fifty pieces for the company, for which they received prestigious awards. In 2002 León and Lightfoot were appointed house choreographers for NDT, a position they held until August 2020.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=mg9SCrc0dSI
Sad Case-Music: Pérez Prado: Mambo no. 8; Muchachita; Always in my heart; Caballo Negro Alberto Dominguez: Frenesi Ray Barretto: El Watusi Trio Los Panchos: Perfidia Augustin Lara: Maria Bonita | Set and costumes: Sol León & Paul Lightfoot | Light: Tom Bevoort.

Danielle Rowe is the guest for episode four of  'A Body's Language'.
Dani Rowe was born in Shepparton, Australia and trained at The Australian Ballet School. From 2001-2015 Dani was a Principal Dancer with the Australian Ballet and Houston Ballet, and also danced with the prestigious Nederlands Dans Theater. She now lives in San Francisco and works as a choreographer, film director and creator and writer. She is the former Associate Artistic Director of SFDanceworks.

We speak about how during  the COVID-19 pandemic, Dani pivoted to film making. Her creations included Shelter, created, directed and choreographed with Garen Scribner and Alexander Reneff-Olson, Wilis in Corps-en-tine for The Australian Ballet, written, directed and choreographed with Garen Scribner, I Am Spartacus for The Australian Ballet, written, directed and choreographed with Garen Scribner and The Animals for Ballet Idaho. The films garnered positive attention from Vogue, The New Yorker, The Guardian and Dance Magazine.

We also speak with Dani about her career as a choreographer and how she never imagined herself 'making dances'.  Dani has created works for San Francisco Ballet, most recently creating 'Wooden Dimes' for their digital season, Nederlands Dans Theater’s SWITCH program, Royal New Zealand Ballet, Co.Lab Dance (featuring dancers from American Ballet Theater), Ballet Idaho, Grand Rapids Ballet, SFDanceworks, Diablo Ballet, Oakland Ballet and Berkeley Ballet Theater. She also choreographed for the award-winning dance film Sirens Tango (featuring principal dancers, Sasha de Sola and Luke Ingham of San Francisco Ballet), and we speak about her cross-disciplinary immersive theater production of FURY (a collaboration between San Francisco Ballet, Alonzo King LINES Ballet and indie-pop band YASSOU).

Dani also reflects on her incredible dancing career.  She originated roles in creations by Paul Lightfoot/Sol Leon, Christopher Wheeldon, Wayne McGregor, Alexander Ekman, Crystal Pite, Marco Goecke and Medhi Walerski and worked with choreographers Mats Ek, Jiri Kylián, Hans van Manen, Alexei Ratmansky and Christopher Bruce. Rowe has also performed in works by Kenneth McMillan, Jerome Robbins, George Balanchine, Mark Morris and Nacho Duato as well as the title roles in Giselle, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Kitri in Don Quixote and Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8PMw7NuaPM
Link for Danielle Rowe as 'The Baroness' in Graeme Murphy's Swan Lake.
The Australian Ballet
Choreography - Graeme Murphy
The Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra
Conductor - Nicolette Fraillon
The Sydney Opera House - 2008

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CISGInB-bag
Link for 'Shoot the Moon' trailer. 
Music: Philip Glass: Movement II from Tirol Concerto for piano and orchestra © Dunvagen, New York / Albersen Verhuur B.V., ’s-Gravenhage | Light: Tom Bevoort | Choreography, decor and costumes: Sol León and Paul Lightfoot.

In this episode Joe speaks to Fall for Dance North, Artistic Director and Co-Founder, Ilter Ibrahimof. Ilter is one of the most respected voices in the industry. He speaks about the steps he has taken from student, to agent, to Director, the experiences and performances that have shaped his career and his capacity as an arts leader, to affect real change in regards to equity and diversity. 

Third Coast Percussion, Madeira River written by Phillip Glass
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAJZdpDgwew

Shantala Shivalingappa 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlGHaayTbn0

In this episode of 'A Body's Language', Joe speaks with Adji Cissoko, a dancer with Alonzo King Lines Ballet. Adji reflects on her childhood, training, family, her incredible career so far and her 2020 projects....do you know what a Kora is? Listen to find out!

ADJI CISSOKO was born and grew up in Munich, Germany where she trained at the Ballet Academy Munich and graduated with a diploma in dance. Cissoko attended the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at American Ballet Theatre in New York City on full scholarship, before joining the National Ballet of Canada in 2010. In 2012 she was awarded the Patron Award of Merit by the Patrons’ Council Committee of The National Ballet of Canada. Cissoko joined LINES Ballet in 2014. Since then she’s originated many central roles and guested for galas worldwide. Cissoko has given multiple masterclasses and taught classes around the world as part of the company’s outreach program. In 2020 she became certified in health/life coaching as well as in ABT's National Training Curriculum.

The first ever episode of 'A Body's Language' features an interview with the incomparable, David Hallberg, one of the greatest dancers of his generation. He speaks about his career, dancing at home and abroad, his next steps as The Artistic Director of The Australian Ballet and the key ingredient in making ballet relevant, today.