Terpsichore: Voices in Dance

Episode 28: Tanztheater Wuppertal's Malou Airaudo on living through dance

Born in Marseille in 1948, Malou Airaudo began her dance journey at just eight years old at the Opéra de Marseille’s ballet school. She later joined the opera’s ensemble and went on to perform with prominent companies, including the Ballet de Monte Carlo and Ballet Théâtre Contemporain, before eventually moving to New York. There, in 1971, she met Pina Bausch, who would invite her to join the newly formed Tanztheater Wuppertal in Germany two years later.
As a core member of the company, Malou played a pivotal role in the creation of some of Bausch's most iconic works, including 'Iphigenie auf Tauris' and 'Cafe Muller'. In addition to her work in Wuppertal, Malou continued to perform internationally, and in 1975, she co-founded the Paris-based company La Main. Teaching has also been a significant part of her career: in 1984, Bausch invited her to become a professor of Modern Dance at Folkwang Hochschule, and from 2012, she directed the university’s institute of contemporary dance.
Since 2018, Malou has been active in staging new productions of Bausch’s repertoire, including 'Iphigenie auf Tauris' at Dresden’s Semperoper, a process captured in the documentary Dancing Pina. She's also created her own work on the likes of Folkwang Tanzstudio, and hip-hop and breakdancers from pottporus company. In 2020, she collaborated with Germaine Acogny, the Senegalese dancer choreographer and teacher known as the mother of contemporary African dance, to create 'common ground[s]', a duet where they explore their shared histories and emotional experiences. Over recent years, Malou has continued to perform this deeply personal work, and as goes through its final run at Sadler’s Wells in London from November 6-10, I couldn’t wait to sit down with her to reflect on her amazing life and career.

Episode 27: Brazilian choreographer Lia Rodrigues on being an artist and a citizen

Rio de Janeiro-based choreographer Lia Rodrigues began her dance journey by training in classical ballet alongside studying history at the University of São Paulo. After cutting her teeth as a dancer in France, most notably performing with modern dance legend Maguy Marin and being part of the creation of her seminal Samuel Beckett-inspired work May B, Lia moved back to her home country of Brazil and founded her eponymous dance company in 1990. Lia works extensively at the intersection between art and social activism. Since 2004, her company has helped to develop outreach and arts actions in the Maré favela in Rio de Janeiro, in conjunction with an NGO based in the neighboruhood. This partnership gave rise to the Maré arts center, which opened in 2009; and to the Maré free dance school, which has been open since October 2011. 
Over the years, Lia has accrued many accolades, from receiving the Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters from France to receiving a portrait at Paris’ Festival d’Automne in 2021. Recently, it was announced that her work ‘Encantado’ has been nominated for the Rose Prize, a new international choreography award established by Sadler’s Wells in London. Ahead of the announcement of the Rose Prize winner in February 2025, I couldn’t wait to speak to Lia about the inspirations behind 'Encantado', how what she's learnt from motherhood has influenced her career, the responsibility that comes with privilege, and how she strives to make contemporary dance more accessible in her unequal home town. 

Episode 26: Janet Eilber on 100 years of Martha Graham Dance Company

Originally trained at the Julliard school in New York, Janet Eilber danced professionally with the Martha Graham Dance Company for many years. During this time she danced many of the greatest roles from the Graham repertoire and had several new ones created on her by Graham herself. In 2005, she was appointed as the company’s Artistic Director, tasked with preserving Graham’s legacy while keeping it relevant for new generations. Her leadership has been defined by a commitment to expanding audience access to the Graham masterworks, which has seen her do everything from implementing contextual programming to pioneering the use new media, as well as commissioning contemporary choreographers to create new works that shed new light or engage in dialogue with Graham’s oeuvre. Now, she’s overseeing GRAHAM100, a three-season-long centennial celebration of the company and its dancers. 
I sat down with Janet to find out more about what’s in store for the GRAHAM100 programme, to discuss what it was like working in the studio in one of the leading pioneers of modern dance, and what she thinks the next century of the Martha Graham Dance Company will look like.

Episode 25: Cassa Pancho MBE

Cassa Pancho founded Ballet Black in 2001 after graduating from professional dance training and was one of the first dancers and choreographers in the company. Her initial goal was to provide role models to young, aspiring Black and Asian dancers. A year later, she opened the Ballet Black Junior School in Shepherd’s Bush, London. 
Since starting Ballet Black, Cassa has commissioned over 40 choreographers to make work for the company, including Richard Alston, Javier de Frutos, Annabelle Lopez-Ochoa, Shobana Jeyasingh, Henri Oguike, Arthur Pita, Will Tuckett, and Mthuthuzeli November, who himself is a dancer with the company. 
Currently, Ballet Black is touring, ‘Heroes’, a double bill of works by Sophie Laplane and Mthuthuzeli November, around the the UK. I sat down with Cassa to find out more about what’s in store, as well as reflect on how the landscape has changed for dancers of colour since she started Ballet Black in 2001.

Episode 24: Louise Lecavalier

Québécois dancer and choreographer Louise Lecavalier joined choreographer Édouard Lock’s company La La La Human Steps in 1981. Known for its energetic, acrobatic style involving fast-paced and athletic physical contact, La La La is regarded as one of the most prominent contemporary dance company of the late 20th Century. Louise became one of its key figures, and was well known for mastering La La La’s signature barrel jump. During her 17 years with the company, Louise danced in seminal works including ‘Human Sex’, 'Businessman in the Process of Becoming an Angel’, and ‘Oranges’, and took part in groundbreaking collaborations with the likes of David Bowie and Frank Zappa. In 1999, she left La La La to pursue alternative projects. Since then, she’s danced with Tedd Robinson, Benoît Lachambre, and Crystal Pite, and started creating her own work under the umbrella of her company Fou Glorieux.Last month, Louise premiered her new solo, ‘Minutes Around Late Afternoon’ at Sadler’s Wells as part of Elixir Festival, which challenges perceptions around dance and age. Before the show, I sat down with Louise to find out more about what she’s working on and reflect on her amazing career. 

Episode 23: Simone Damberg Würtz

Born in Denmark and trained at the Royal Danish Ballet School, Simone Damberg Würtz danced with the Ballet Ensemble of Theatre Ulm and Peter Schaufuss Balletten before joining the renowned London-based contemporary dance company Rambert in 2013. Since joining Rambert, she’s worked with countless choreographers, and has particularly enjoyed working with the likes of Kim Brandstrup, Didy Veldman, Christopher Bruce, Sharon Eyal, Jo Strømgren, Marion Motin, Imre Van Opstal, Marne Van Opstal, and Wim Vandekeybus. Recently, she danced the role of Aunt Pol in current artistic director Benoit Swan Pouffer’s ‘Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby’, a stage reimagining of the Birmingham-based hit television show. 
Outside of performing, Simone enjoys choreographing, and founded The Playground, a free, monthly creative platform for professional artists supported and held at Rambert’s studios.Last year, Simone celebrated her ten year anniversary with Rambert. To mark this milestone, I couldn’t wait to speak to her about how she’s seen the company evolve over the past 10 years, her personal highlights, career longevity in dance, and which female dance pioneer from the past she’d most like to speak to. 

Epiosde 22: Aditi Mangaldas

Based in Dehli, India, Aditi Mangaldas is a leading dancer and choreographer in the classical Indian dance form of Kathak. Having trained extensively under the styles leading gurus, Aditi is recognised for her artistry, technique, eloquence and characteristic energy that marks every performance. Considered a maverick in India, she has consistently broken new ground as choreographer, creating works for her eponymous company that combine Kathak with contemporary influences and confront timely socio-political issues. 'Mehek', Aditi's latest piece, is the first full-length duet she has ever created. Developed in collaboration with with UK-based choreographer Aakash Odedra, it tells the story of a relationship between older woman and a younger man and meditates on the theme of “unspoken and taboo love stories”. Ahead of Mehek’s UK tour this April, I couldn’t wait to speak to Aditi to find out more about what’s in store, and to reflect on her impressive 50-year-long career. 

Episode 21: Andrea Miller

Andrea Miller is a US-based choreographer, creative director, and the founder of the internationally renowned multidisciplinary organisation GALLIM. Working across dance, film, fashion, and the visual arts, Andrea is known for her exploration of the essential elements of human behaviour and the alchemy of human expression through the medium of movement and performance.Andrea is a Guggenheim, Sadler's Wells, New York City Center, and Princess Grace Fellow. She is the first choreographer to be named Artist in Residence at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, creating two large scale works for The Temple of Dendur and the full 5th floor of The Met Breuer. Andrea has been commissioned by the likes of New York City Ballet, Martha Graham Dance Company, Rambert2, and Ailey II, presenting her works in world renowned venues including the Lincoln Center, The Joyce, BAM, the Royal Albert Hall, London’s Royal Opera House, and Theaterhaus Stuttgart. This September, Andrea presented ‘Les Noces Ascent to Days’ at London’s Sadler’s Wells. Created for English National Ballet, the piece is her reimagining of the famous Stravinsky score originally choreographed by overlooked Russian dance pioneer Bronislava Nijinska. For the piece, she collaborated with the late great British sculptor Phyllida Barlow on set design. Holland Park Opera also performed the music live on stage. You can read the review I wrote for the TLS here.
On Friday 24th November, Andrea will be returning to London to restage excerpts of 'Les Noces Ascent to Days' at the Victoria and Albert museum as part of their dance-focused V&A Friday Late event. Ahead of the performance, I couldn’t wait to talk to Andrea about breaking out of the concert dance bubble to present work in non traditional performance spaces, her collaborations with visual art organisations and creators in particular Phyllida Barlow, and her plans for the future of her company who are fast approaching their 20th anniversary. 
 

Episode 20: Shobana Jeyasingh CBE

Shobana Jeyasingh CBE is a London-based choreographer. Born in Chennai, India, Shobana trained in Bharata Natyam (the classical dance of Tamil Nadu) and read English Literature before founding her eponymous company in 1989. Since then, she has created over 60 critically acclaimed works for stage, screen, and out and indoor sites, ranging from Palladian monasteries in Venice to contemporary fountains in London.
Shobana’s work is known for both its intellectual rigour and visceral physicality. It is rooted in her experience and perspective of life as a female postcolonial citizen of the world. Over the course of a distinguished career she has collaborated with scientists, curators, composers, film makers, digital creatives, dancers and designers to make dynamic multi-disciplinary work that places the body centre stage in the dialogue of ideas.
On 19th and 20th August 2023, Shobana will be restaging her site specific work ‘Counterpoint’ in the courtyard of Somerset House in London as part of the venue’s Summer in the Courtyard series and Westminster City Council's Inside Out festival. Originally choreographed in 2010, the work contrasts the powerful curves and thrilling physicality of 22 dancers with the formal lines of the neoclassical courtyard and modernist fountains. Ahead of the performances, I couldn’t wait to talk to Shobana about the original inspirations behind the piece, as well as her career long investigations into composition and writing stories with the body.

Episode 19: Florence Peake

Florence Peake is a London-based artist who has been making solo and group performance works intertwined with an extensive visual art practice since 1995. Presenting work internationally and across the UK in galleries, theatres and the public realm, she is known for an approach which is at once sensual and witty, expressive and rigorous, political and intimate. Florence explores notions of materiality and physicality: from the body as site and vehicle of protest to the erotic and sensual as tools for queering materiality. Most recently, she’s been working on her exhibition and performance, ‘Factual Actual’, focusing on the possibilities of painting, exploring its relationship to movement and upending its static representation often found in museum collections. Originally commissioned by London’s National Gallery in 2021, 'Factual Actual' has been on show at Southwark Park Galleries since 16th April, and will close this weekend on 2nd July before touring to Edinburgh’s Fruitmarket Gallery and Towner Gallery in Eastbourne later in 2023 and 2024. Alongside ‘Factual Actual’, Richard Saltoun Gallery in London has also been showing ‘Enactment’, a complementary exhibition open until 8th July that presents new installations, sculptures, canvases, and works on paper that continue Florence’s artist's research into the possibilities of painting. I couldn’t wait to sit down and speak to Florence about where her interest in melding human bodies and artistic materials came from, the absurdity of the performance-making process, and why she never lets her work arrive in one place.