Laurence Yadi (Dancer, choreographer)

Laurence Yadi and Nicolas Cantillon’s choreographic approach is crossed by dance history and its different streams; from folkloric dances to Ballet, from musicals to hip hop, from American modern dance to German Expressionism. Throughout their career, Laurence Yadi and Nicolas Cantillon have created about 20 pieces: from silent ones to dance-concerts, from duets to group pieces, all of which they have toured internationally (to Africa, Asia, United States, Europe, the Middle-East, North Africa, and Russia). They regularly give workshop sessions in Switzerland and abroad. They are also invited to teach “Multi Styles Fuittfuitt” to young dancers in professional training. In 2014 they published a book, in part a diary, in part a guide on the practice of “Multi Styles Fuittfuitt” for others, as the ways to approach it are endless. Yadi and Cantillon have been recognized with several awards: the Swiss Prize for Dance and Choreography, and the Prix de la Fondation Liechti pour les Arts.

 

For nearly two decades, Yadi and Cantillon have traveled around the world to find the necessary creative inspiration; to tell the story, to turn the story into a visual representation and to transcend reality. They never try to introduce their own forms of performance to the local, but instead look for local traditional art, and fuse it with new elements to create contemporary art.

 

Compagnie 7273

Since the creation of Compagnie 7273 (established 2003), Laurence Yadi and Nicolas Cantillon have developed a dance style that invites the body to continuously and endlessly unravel. Their research is inspired by the specific Arabic music system of maqâm. Each maqâm describes a "tonal-spatial factor" or a set of musical notes and the relationship between them. It allows the musician to play in-between the notes and gives him the opportunity to express himself.

 

For nearly two decades, Yadi and Cantillon have traveled around the world to find the necessary creative inspiration; to tell the story, to turn the story into a visual effect and to transcend reality. They never try to introduce their own forms of performance to the local, but instead look for traditional art in the local context, and fuse it with new elements to create contemporary art. It is in the Middle East that Yadi and Cantillon have created their “Multi Style Fuittfuitt.” They use this dance technique to make the action wavy, spiral, similar to a hypnotized dance state.

 

Pro Helvetia Shanghai, Swiss Arts Council

Pro Helvetia is dedicated to the promotion of contemporary cultural works of national and international interest. It also fosters co-productions or exchanges between Swiss artists and artists from other countries, in particular from countries where Pro Helvetia has a regional office.

 

Pro Helvetia Shanghai is founded in 2010 and represents the Swiss Arts Council in mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau. Its aim is to encourage dialogue between Swiss and Chinese cultural practitioners and institutions by supporting projects that enhance the exchange of knowledge and experience in the cultural field.