Your name?
Rafaële Giovanola
Your profession?
Choreographer, dancer
Your temperament?
Spontaneous, present-oriented
What’s the most beautiful thing anyone ever said about you?
That our pieces alter body awareness and leave room for one's own fantasies
And the most annoying thing?
That I can't manage something. Without having really tried it
What role does dance play in your life?
Dance is an infinite field of exploration. I dislike using the word "dance" and prefer the word "movement." Dance—or movement—gives me so much, and has given me so much. It is as if I would not truly exist without dance—or movement
Three words/ideas you associate with dance?
Freedom. Transformation. Communication
What gets you all excited?
Little things, things that are hidden, that you don't see right away, a gesture that touches me, the unexpected
What drives you nuts?
Injustice, entrenched ideas about something, narrow-mindedness
What would you never eat?
Insects, food products without clear origin
What are you dreaming of?
The perfect space to let dance and imagination unfold without limits
What gets your imagination going?
Unexpected physical impulses from the ensemble, travel, music
What makes a good friend?
Trust, reliability, humor
Something people around you find really exciting, but you don‘t?
Effects and spectacle devoid of substantive necessity
What could you never do without?
In general: freedom. And at work: collective research and an open-ended ensemble process
What could you easily do without?
Stupid and empty conversations
Something you‘ve never done but would love to do?
Skydiving
Your favourite place?
There are so many—they are always linked to different situations—but if I had to choose a place, then I would choose a desert island
Your favourite fictional character?
Mary Poppins, because she makes the impossible possible
Your favourite piece of clothing?
It changes all the time, but I have a soft spot for tutus!
Your most precious memory?
The birth of our children. Incredibly intense
Your motto?
Anything is possible. The search is never finished; you can keep on forever researching and discovering new things
–––
Swiss choreographer Rafaële Giovanola—born in Baltimore, USA—was a dancer with William Forsythe in Frankfurt am Main. In 2000, she co-founded the performance collective CocoonDance with dramaturg Rainald Endraß; the group is affiliated with the Theater im Ballsaal in Bonn. With over fifty productions, numerous guest performances, and an inexhaustible curiosity to her name, Giovanola is being honored with the "Deutscher Tanzpreis 2027." Her next world premiere, Breath Works, is scheduled for 17 October at Stadttheater Gießen.
www.stadttheater-giessen.de;
www.cocoondance.net
Portrait at the top of the article:
© Sabrina Weniger
