"You cannot simply put something new into a place. You have to absorb what you see around you, and then use that knowledge along with contemporary thinking to interpret what you see."
Tadao Ando
Offseason Dance aims to produce outstanding quality contemporary dance programming, which engages a broad audience, regardless of their knowledge of the art form.
This freelance company is based and founded in Gothenburg, Sweden. Since June 2010, it has served as a platform for some of the best professional choreographers of new generation to continue develop their talent and create work exclusively for Offseason Dance.
The dancers and choreographers involved in Offseason Dance are all active performers and creators in major European dance companies. In addition to their regular engagements, the artists come together to produce two original contemporary works per season, unique to the Offseason Dance repertoire.
By fostering a cooperative of artists where management and choreographers work together towards common artistic goals, Offseason Dance is able to share extraordinary original works with their audience each season.
" Art is the most complex, vitalizing, and civilizing of human actions. Thus it is of biological necessity. Art sensitizes man to the best that is immanent in him through an intensified expression involving many layers of experience."
Moholy-Nagy
Born in USA, Tilman O'Donnell trained at the National Ballet School in Toronto (Canada) and joined The Göteborg Ballet under the direction of Anders Hellström. In 2002 Tilman danced at the Staatstheater Saarbrücken directed by Marguerite Donlon. Thereafter he joined the Cullberg Ballet under the direction of Johan Inger from 2003 until 2007.
Tilman is a member of The Forsythe Company in Frankfurt since 2007.
Tilman O'Donnell made his debut as a choreographer in 2002 and has been awarded first prize in two major international choreographic competitions. In 2005 he was appointed both Dancer to watch and Choreographer to watch by the leading European dance magazine Ballet Tanz. Tilman was commissioned by The Göteborg Ballet in 2010 and created a full length called "This is"; which has placed him in the lead of contemporary dance creators in Europe.
- Video -
" It's what I do what teaches me what I'm looking for."
Pierre Soulages.
Born in France, Thomas Zamolo began his professional career as a dancer in 1995 with the Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe where he was promoted to demi-soloist three years later. In the year 2000 he joined The Göteborg Ballet, where he danced two seasons under the direction of Anders Hellström. Thereafter Thomas joined the Pretty Ugly/Freiburg Ballet directed by Amanda Miller before returning to The Göteborg Ballet. In 2005 Thomas joined Cullberg Ballet under the direction of Johan Inger, until in 2008 he made the decision to put his dance career on hold to become rehearsal director for The Göteborg Ballet under the direction of Johannes Öhman. Since 2010 Thomas is the rehearsal director for Cullberg Ballet, directed by Anna Grip.
Thomas' choreography "EXIT(...)over" was a finalist at the 2005 Hannover International Choreographic Competition. In 2006 Thomas created a new work called "Hado" for Cullberg Ballet and in 2008 he was commissioned by Pretty Ugly/Tanz Köln where he created "Untitled Twice". Also, Thomas performed as a guest artist with The Forsythe Company in 2010.
Thomas Zamolo's versatility covers works as video editor/producer; he has been commissioned different video and film projects for The Göteborg Ballet and Cullberg Ballet; and as a Polaroid photographer/artist, having Scandinavian and international recognition.
"We are concerned with the relationship between art and life. Contemporary art is only intelligible in terms of its relationship to our life."
David Elliott
Fernando Melo began his dance training in his hometown of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and later won a scholarship to study at the Vienna State Opera Ballet School. He went on to dance with the Deustche Oper am Rhein in Dusseldorf, Germany, and is currently working with The Göteborg Ballet in Gothenburg, Sweden. As a choreographer, Melo's works have been performed in Germany, Sweden, Holland, and the USA. Fernando was first commissioned to create a work for Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Düsseldorf, Germany in 2004 and was invited back to make a second creation in 2006. He began choreographing for The Göteborg Ballet in 2005 when he made "Bate", a piece that enjoyed tremendous success with the audience and critics alike when it was performed both by Introdans, in Holland, and the Luna Negra Dance Theater in Chicago. Melo's other works for the company include "Boxman" (2008) and "The Guest House" (2010). Fernandos dance film "Mahjong" was the 2010 Audience Award Winner at the San Francisco Dance Film Festival.
"Art is a personal act of courage, something one human does that creates change in another"
Seth Godin
Originally from Vancouver, Canada, Stephan Laks has worked with a wide range of choreographers and dance projects in his career. Since completing his dance training at the Juilliard School in New York City, he has worked with a variety of dance projects and companies, notably Les Grands Ballet Canadiens de Montreal, Göteborg Ballet, Bern Ballet, and Aszure Barton & Artists. In 2006, he co-founded Rumpus Room Dance, which was listed in Dance Magazines 25 to Watch issue, and co-directed the group until its closure in 2009. During his work with Rumpus Room, he focused on creating dance-based collaborations with visual artists, architects, lighting designers, urban property developers and dance artists to create work utilizing urban environments.
Stephan is currently a rehearsal director for the Göteborg Ballet, as well as a choreographic repetiteur for Fernando Melo.
"I don't believe you have to be better than everybody else. I believe you have to be better than you ever thought you could be."
Ken Venturi
First-ever Offseason Dance's program to be premiered in 2011 will bring together the collaboration of two major choreographers/artists in the European dance scene, Tilman O'Donnell from The Forsythe Company and Thomas Zamolo from Cullberg Ballet; and a new work from acclaimed Brazilian choreographer Fernando Melo and
Stephan Laks from The Göteborg Ballet. This unique cooperation in which choreographers and dancers will benefit from a complete artistic freedom will produce two pieces of approximately 45 minutes each, which could be presented as a full-length program or separately.
Offseason Dance is very proud to count in its team with dancers from major European companies such as Cullberg Ballet, The Forsythe Company and The Göteborg Ballet.
"To be successful you have to enjoy doing your best while at the same time contributing to something beyond yourself"
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Born in Spain, Rayco Cano-Cortes was trained at the Victor Ullate's school in Madrid and danced with the Victor Ullate Ballet, Compañia Nacional de Danza 2 under the direction of Nacho Duato, Introdans in Holland, and The Göteborg Ballet where he continues to this day.
Rayco started his career as choreographer in 2001, participating in several projects, workshops and international competitions. He was commissioned by The Göteborg Ballet, creating a full-length piece called "No-Do" in collaboration with the Göteborg Symphonic Orchestra and Maestro Gustavo Dudamel (Music Director of The Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra and the Göteborg Symphonic Orchestra). This performance was broadcasted on SVT, Swedish National Television. Rayco also worked for a period of three years as guest teacher and choreographer for The Royal Swedish Ballet School in Gothenburg and for one year at Ballet Divertimento de Montreal, Canada.
He has been a dancer's representative for The Göteborg Ballet which motivated him to study a post-graduate degree in Art Management from the UOC University (Barcelona).
Currently he is the Artistic Coordinator and Mentor for NUDANS, Junior Company of The Göteborg Ballet under the direction of Johannes Öhman, since its creation in 2008.
As of June of 2010, Rayco Cano-Cortes is the founder and manager of Offseason Dance.
