José Navas
| José Navas | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Domingo Navas Martinez 10 January 1965 Caracas, Venezuela |
| Nationality | Canada |
| Education | Merce Cunningham |
| Known for | Contemporary Dance |
| Website | http://www.flak.org |
José Navas is a contemporary choreographer and dancer born in Venezuela in 1965, and based in Montreal, Quebec.
Biography
José Navas began his training at the Taller de Danza in Caracas before moving to New York and studying at the Merce Cunningham Studio. There, he collaborated with Stephen Petronio, Michael Clark, Lucinda Childs and various other independent choreographers. In 1991 he moved to Canada and began to choreograph. He founded Compagnie Flak[1] in 1995.
José Navas was first known for his talents as a soloist on the European and North American stages. He quickly established himself as a choreographer proposing bold and unusual works. In 1998, he established his reputation in Canada with One Night Only 3/3,[2] a daring and provocative trio. Crowned "Best young foreign choreographer" by the German magazine Ballet Tanz Aktuell International in 1999,[1] he appeared the following year among the “100 people who move Quebec" in the French magazine L'Express.[1]
José Navas is the recipient of several awards. Among others, he shares a Bessie Award[3] with choreographer William Douglas[4] for the solo While Waiting and won the award for “Best Choreography for the Camera" at the Moving Picture Festival in Toronto for the celebrated art film Lodela,[5] directed by Philippe Baylaucq.
In 2009, he had already created over thirty works for the stage and screen and his company had toured in over 20 countries. Since 2004, he has focused his artistic research on the essence and purity of movement. Abstraction, simplicity, intensity and depth are the words that best describe his current work.
Choregraphies
- 2008: S
- 2008: Miniatures (solos)
- 2006: Anatomies
- 2006: Límpido Amor (solo on pointe for Anik Bissonnette – Montréal)
- 2006: Calm Abiding (solo for Nova Bhattacharya – Toronto)
- 2005: Portable Dances
- 2004: Le Ciel, brûlant des heures (duet for the company Montréal Danse[6] – Montréal )
- 2001: Solo with Cello (solo originally entitled Haman/Navas Project)
- 2003: Adela, mi amor[7]
- 2000: Perfume de Gardenias[8]
- 1999: Côté cœur, côté jardin (solo[9] for company Danse-Cité – Montréal)
- 1998: One Night Only 3/3[10]
- 1998: Abstraction (solo)
- 1998: Enter: Last (group piece for the company Montréal Danse[6] – Montréal)
- 1997: Bosquejo (solo for the Springdance Festival[11] – Utrecht)
- 1997: One Night Only 2/3 (group piece for the company Benoît Lachambre / by b.l.eux)
- 1997: One Night Only 1/3 (solo for Princess Productions[12] – Toronto)
- 1996: Sterile Fields (solo[9])
- 1996: Luna Llena[11]
- 1996: Deep Down
- 1994: Postdata (solo[9] solo performed by José Navas, commissioned by Culturgest – Lisbon)
- 1992: Flak[11]
- 1992: Celestiales[9]
- 1991: When We Dreamed the Other Heaven[13]
Performances as a dancer, other than for Compagnie Flak
- 1997: Sonata and... (Bill T. Jones)
- 1995: While waiting (William Douglas)[14]
Cinema and theatre
- 2005: Choreographer for Adéla[15] (Jocelyn Barnabé)
- 2002: Choreographer and dancer in Perpetual Motion (Laura Taler[16])
- 2002: Director of Les Fleuves profonds (José María Arguedas, adaptation: Wajdi Mouawad)
- 1997: Choreographer and dancer in The Golden City (Moze Mossanen)
- 1996: Dancer in The Village Trilogy (Laura Taler)
- 1995: Choreographer and dancer in Lodela (Philip Baylaucq)
- 2011: Choreographer for Ora (Philip Baylaucq)[17]
Notes and references
- 1 2 3 Compagnie Flak : official website
- ↑ cf. Picture Gallery, One Night Only 3/3, Candance
- ↑ Michael Crabb, José Navas, biography, The Canadian Encyclopedia, 2009
- ↑ William Douglas, The Canadian Encyclopedia, 2009
- ↑ Lodela (The movie), National Film Board of Canada
- 1 2 cf. itinerary of the company Montréal Danse
- ↑ (French) Dfdanse, Adela, mi amor de José Navas (...) Sous le signe de l’onirisme, Montréal, 2004
- ↑ Elegant Movement In Hot Surroundings, The New York Times, 7 Jan. 2001
- 1 2 3 4 (French) Isabelle Poulin, La scène où le prince est Navas, Le Devoir, Montréal, 8 June 2002.
- ↑ DANCE REVIEW; A Piano Score Makes Waves, The New York Times, 7 Feb. 1998
- 1 2 3 Archives of Springdance Festival
- ↑ One Night Only 1/3 Technical sheet, Princess Productions
- ↑ Dance in Review, The New York Times, 31 Jan. 1994
- ↑ William Douglas, 42, a Choreographer, The New York Times, 16 March 1996
- ↑ Adéla movie Technical sheet (Telefilm Canada) directed by Jocelyn Barnabé
- ↑ Laura Taler's profile, ICI Berlin, 2008
- ↑ Wong, Jessica (14 September 2011). "3D dance films Pina, Ora strive for cinematic innovation". CBC News. Retrieved 7 April 2012.