Two differently set sets make up the evening with instant composition at the intersection of dance, music and light. The participating artists are: Michael Thieke, Yorgos Dimitriadis, David Hernandez, Colas Lucot, Tian Gao, Renate Graziadei and Arthur Stäldi.

Michael Thieke, the Berlin-based clarinetist/composer/performer is equally at home across a broad range of musical environments. He is exploring the minutiae of sound, timbre and noise, with a particular interest in microtonality and related sound phenomena, and with a preference for long-term collaborations and collective work. Concert tours took him all around Europe, Asia and the Americas, his work has been documented on over 50 releases. Some of his current projects are: The International Nothing, The Magic I.D., The Pitch, Splitter Orchester, Der lange Schatten, Porta Chiusa and duos with Biliana Voutchkova, Luigi Marino, Peter Cusack and Vilhelm Bromander. The International nothing

David Hernandez unique choreographic voice and detailed dance language has brought critically acclaimed work to stages across Europe for over two decades. Since 2015, he has deepened his choreographic research through a partnership with Cacao Bleu vzw under the banner dh+ / David Hernandez and Collaborators. Within this framework, he created and toured the productions For Movement’s Sake Hullabaloo and Sketches on Scarlatti. These works were supported domestically by STUK (Leuven), Monty (Antwerp), Beursschouwburg (Brussels), and C-mine (Genk) and internationally by the Ballets de Lorraine, Scènes Vosges (Épinal), Into The Fields Festival (Bonn)… amongst many others. In addition to creating choreographic work with a core group of committed dancers, he continues to influence new generations through his pedagogical activities as a faculty teacher at P.A.R.T.S and guest teacher for various education programs and studios internationally, teaching from his own pedagogical approach called Dynamic Movement Systems which he has been developing for the last several decades. He also created commissioned works for schools, companies and festivals such as Skånes Dansteater , Susanne Linke Company (Trier), Folkwang Tanzstudio (Essen) and Zagreb Dance Company. Recent pieces such as Lonely Hunter, Other, …and my beloved, The Devil’s Garden and Passage won over audiences and critics to become important repertory pieces for the companies who commissioned them. Having begun his artistic career as a singer and student in Opera, Jazz and Studio Music at the University of Miami in his home state of Florida, USA, David continues today to nurture his musicianship through the projects Rêve d’Elephant Orchestre with Michel Debrulle and in the early music ensemble Graindelavoix. With over 30 years of stage and arts experience under his belt, David continues to push the limits of his craft through his passion for multimedia, storytelling and composing richly poetic worlds on stage and off. www.dhplus.net

Colas Lucot studied ballet and contemporary dance in France at the CNSMD of Lyon. After his studies, he joined the CCN Nantes, directed by Claude Brumachon, for a short time before becoming part of the Angelin Preljocaj company in Aix-en-Provence for the reprise of Snow White and for touring worldwide. Eight years ago, he moved to Bruxelles and began to work with David Hernandez. Since then, he has been collaborating with David on numerous creations and commissioned works: Thirst, For Movement’s Sake, Hullabaloo, Passage, The Devil’s Garden, Sketches on Scarlatti and more. He is also an assistant for David’s workshops and classes in schools, events and at festivals: PARTS, DOCH, Impulstanz, Folkwang, Coline… In 2012, Colas worked with Akram Khan and danced in the opening ceremony of the Olympic games in London.  He also has been involved in other dance projects, mostly in Germany and England. Since 2013, Colas has been teaching in several venues and established studios in Belgium and abroad.

Tian Gao is a Berlin-based dancer originally from Wuhan, China. She hosts a master-degree at Folkwang University of Arts. As dancer and performer she’s been working with Sasha Waltz & Guests since 2018, and also collaborated with companies and artists, such as Laborgras, Michael Laub/Remote Control Productions, Paper Tiger Collective. As independent artist Tian has been collaborating with musicians and visual artists for multidisciplinary projects and performed in Berlin, Essen, Wuppertal, Wuhan, Beijing, to name only a few. As choreographer, she had her full evening creation River/江/Flusspremiered in May 2022 at Podium Festival Esslingen, which is also to be seen in September 2022 at Düsseldorf Festival.

Renate Graziadei was born in Austria and completed her dance training in Switzerland. She then moved to New York City where she studied, worked and lived for three years, dancing amongst others with the Nina Wiener Dance Company. After returning to Europe, she worked with Rui Horta at S.O.A.P Dance Theatre Frankfurt and later with the Hamburg-based dance group COAX. In autumn 1994, Renate Graziadei and Arthur Stäldi founded the laborgras collective. In addition to creating numerous original projects of their own, Renate also contribute to the creation processes of other artists. Her longest and closest collaboration has been since 1999 with choreographer David Hernandez. Renate has worked with Sasha Waltz & Guests as assistant rehearsal director from 2004 – 2019 and as a guest dancer from 2008 – 2019. In 2010 she was the critic’s choice for Dancer of the Year, awarded by ballet-tanz magazine. In 2016/17 she was a guest dancer with Susanne Linke Company – at the Theater Trier for the production Hommage a Dore Hoyer. She has been performing improvisation for many years with different artits in various set ups for different occasions in Europe, New York and Israel.

Arthur Stäldi, born in Luzern, Switzerland began his dance training in Luzern (Switzerland) and Rotterdam (Holland). Following his education, he worked for several state theatres in Switzerland and Germany and founded the dance group COAX in 1989 with dancer Rica Blunck in Hamburg. In the summer of 1994, he left COAX to become the co-founder of the collective laborgras and has since been involved in numerous international projects with other artists and choreographers. His longest collaboration has been with the choreographer David Hernandez. Since 1996 he is teaching contemporary dance technique regularly in various institutions in Germany and internationally. In summer 2007 he was the coach and training director for the TanzMedienAkademie project at ‘pèlerinages KUNSTFEST WEIMAR’ in Weimar. Since 2005 he mainly works as a instructor, choreographer and dramaturge for laborgras and other artists. He has been improvising for many years as a performer, or with light, for and with numerous artists for different occasions in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands.