French dancer and choreographer born in Toulouse in 1960.

After training as a gymnast, Michel Kelemenis begins dancing in Marseille at the age of 17. In 1983, he performs in the Centre Chorégraphique National de Montpellier with Dominique Bagouet and choreographs his first works, among which Aventure coloniale with Angelin Preljocaj in 1984. He was awarded the Villa Médicis Hors les Murs prize in 1987, and founded Kelemenis & cie (Association Plaisir d’Offrir) in the same year. In 1991, he received the Leonardo da Vinci scholarship and Japan’s Uchida Shogakukin fund. His numerous works (more than 60, of which 40 for his company) are performed throughout the world.

In love with movement and dancers, with those exceptional moments when gesture topples a role, Michel Kelemenis structures his works around the search for a balance between abstraction and figuration.

For his personal style, which combines finesse and athletic performance, the choreographer is invited to work with the ballets of the Paris Opera, the Rhin Opera, the Opera du Nord, the Geneva Opera and the Ballet National de Marseille.

In 2000, he directed the lyric and choreographic drama, L’Atlantide, by Henri Tomasi for the Marseille Opera. He has since collaborated with the Festival d’Art Lyrique of Aix-en-Provence: in 2003, he put to movement 4 animalacrobats in Stravinsky’s Renard, directed by Klaus-Michaël Grüber and conducted by Pierre Boulez; in 2004, he assisted Luc Bondy for the chorus movements in Handel’s Hercules, conducted by William Christie.

Since 2008, he starts a reflexion about narration concept, with an approach of creation for young audience.

Through Franch Institute, he participates regularly with French cultural services abroad in Krakow, Kyoto, Johannesburg and Los Angeles, in India, Korea and China. These trips engender training projects, new productions and bilateral exchanges with foreign companies and artists employing various modes of expression.

Numerous programs are organized in higher education and professional training institutions (Coline, Ecole Nationale de Danse de Marseille, and especially with the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Lyon).

The 10th of december 2007, after 10 years of activity at the Studio/Kelemenis, the Conseil Municipal of Marseille votes in favor of the project Centre de danse en résidence conceived and initiated by the choreographer. Intituled KLAP Maison pour la danse, Construction begins in February 2010 with a completion date planned for spring of the following year.

Source : Kelemenis&cie

More information : http://www.kelemenis.fr/fr/

Founded in 1987 by the dancer and choreographer Michel Kelemenis - Plaisir d’Offrir – the association supporting the activities of Kelemenis & cie settled in Marseilles in 1989. Since then, the company produces a new show each year that it presents in international tours. 

Signed by Michel Kelemenis, a repertoire of more than 60 works has been built up. The most prominent include the founding duo Plaisir d’Offrir (1987), the programme of farewell to Dominique Bagouet Clins de lune (1993), 3 poèmes inédits (2001), Besame mucho (2004), the fable for young audiences Henriette & Matisse (2010), the bloodthirsty tale for 8 dancers La Barbe bleue (2015) ...

In 1999, the company inaugurated the Studio/Kelemenis. Located in the 15th district of Marseille, its aim is to support creation. Shared and placed at the disposal of other professional dance companies, it ensures regular activity and a link with the district’s educational establishments. The result was the Educadanse programme.

The desire to support artists in the creative act underwent a new boom in 2006 at the first edition of the Question de danse festival.

The following year, the company celebrated its 20th anniversary and created a unique event Olé !, grouping artists, theatres and partners for 3 festive weeks. That same year, the city voted favourably for the project to construct a Residency dance centre (“KLAP -Centre de danse en residence”) initiated by Michel Kelemenis and supported by the company. 

An altruist, Michel Kelemenis involves his company in international cooperation projects. In 2006, Croisements, backed by the cultural department of the French Embassy in Beijing, linked Kelemenis & cie with the project of the director of the Beijing Modern Dance Company, thereby reconciling traditional culture and new freedom. In 2008, accompanied by the dancer Caroline Blanc, after 2 weeks of classes, the choreographer handed over a flagship work of the company, taking the title of Besame mucho (Kiss me much) to the 6 young dancers of the Moving into dance Mophatong dance company in Johannesburg.

On October 21st 2011, KLAP Maison pour la danse was inaugurated. Immediately, KLAP amplified the actions of Kelemenis & cie around creation, educational artistic sharing, and choreographic culture with the creation of 2 new festivals: +DE DANSE (2012) and Festiv’Anges, a dance festival for children and young people, starting in 2014.

The company expanded its repertoire and explored new areas: territorial irrigation (My Way - 2012) and outdoor irrigation (Zef ! - 2014), young public (Rock & Goal - 2016) and an overview of the repertoire (COLLECTOR - 2017). 

The COLLECTOR programme (created in 2017 for the company’s 30th anniversary) revives the duos and quartets from 1984 to 2017 and overviews the vast and varied repertoire of Kelemenis & cie. 

Source : Kelemenis&cie

More information : http://www.kelemenis.fr/fr/