Carolyn Carlson

Carolyn Carlson is a Danseuse and American Chorégraphe born the March 7th 1943 with Oakland in California, parents of Finnish origin .

After studies of ballet dancing at the university of the Utah and the San Francisco Ballet, Carolyn Carlson is dancer hang seven years of the Alwin Nikolais Dance Theater (until 1971) and collaborates as of 1974 with the Ballet of the Opera of Paris as a choreographer star like in the function of person in charge of the Groupe of Theatrical Research of the Opera of Paris (GRTOP). It will continue its remarkable career with the great names of the dance in the most prestigious places, of which Fenice of Venice of 1980 with 1984.

Of 1991 with 1992 it resides in Finland where it creates in particular the ballet Maa (Finnish Ground) on a music of Kaija Saariaho. It directs then the Ballet Cullberg of Stockholm during two years during the period 1992-1994.

In 1999, the company Carolyn Carlson settles with the Cartridge factory of Vincennes. The choreographer creates there a center of high level course of contemporary dance for the professionals, directed by the most famous choreographers of the world scene. She is also named artistic director of the section dances of the Biennale de Venise. In 2000, it takes again Signes (work created in 1997 for Marie-Claude Pietragalla and Kader Belarbi) with the Opera-Bastille. It is today artistic director of the Choreographic Center National Roubaix North-Not of Calais.

The interest of Carolyn Carlson for the improvisation in solo naturally leads it to work with musicians of Jazz, and in particular a long collaboration with John Surman, but one can also quote Joachim Kühn, or Michel Portal but also his companion Rene Aubry. The Modern music is also very present in the work of Carolyn Carlson, with collaborations with major type-setters like Pierre Henry, Kaija Saariaho, Gavin Bryars or Philip Glass. She also collaborated with plastics technicians as the painter Olivier Debré who carried out monumental decorations for the part " Signes".

In addition to a rich repertory of more than 70 choreographies, Carolyn Carlson is also the author of Poème S and drawings.

She also danced with Raghunath Manet (Dancer and Indian choreographer) in 2007 has Lille.

Rewards and distinctions

1998 : Victories of the music, for Signs with the Opera of Paris
2000: Knight of the Arts and the Letters
2000: Knight of the Legion of honor
2002: Medal of the Town of Paris in November 2002
2006: Gold lion of Biennial of contemporary dance of Venice in June 2006

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