Dance Productions
Léo has been expanding its interests and creating long-term bonds in its collaborative work process in the high arts. The partnerships and projects developed in the last few years also intensely focus on movement research and the group dynamic. All the projects below have a democratic creation format, where participants are intensely involved in developing the pieces. A crucial aspect of these partnerships is the goal of building projects outside of the studio with enrichment programs for dancers and for the general public, which supports the dissemination of dance at an educational level.
Image: CocoonDance
COCOONDANCE
It is an immense pleasure collaborating with CocoonDance. The relationship with the core team began in 2008 on a tour to Brazil. I returned to a new chapter in 2016 to strengthen the team, assuming different roles behind the stage. However, what most captivates me in the company is their capacity to mutate through time and stay curious about the idea of what a body can do. Together we create movement concepts while keeping a refined dance style characteristic.
The performance art collective CocoonDance was founded by choreographer Rafaële Giovanola and dramaturge Rainald Endraß in 2000. CocoonDance has been producing and performing in the independent Theater in Ballsaal in Bonn (D); since 2004/05, the company has also been curating the dance program and is responsible for the organization and financing of the theatre.
My collaborations with the company relate to dance training, dance movement research, helping to develop a glossary with the dance company vocabulary, and stage coordination. In addition, I take part in the productions:
No Body But Me (2016), Ghost Trio A – Corps Furtifs (2017), Ghost Trio B – Corps Multiples (2018), Vis Motrix (2018), Dream City (2019), Standard (2021), Hard Boiled Variations (2022).
 HARD BOILED VARIATIONS |  STANDARD |  VIS MOTRIX |
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DANCE THEATRE HEIDELBERG
I am blessed to have met Ivan Pérez in 2019 when he had just started directing the Dance Theatre Heidelberg, the dance department in the Theater und Orchester Heidelberg. The company of talented dancers has not only attracted my attention for the way of moving but for its approach to daily work, which is unconventional to other dance companies in city theatres. A small group willing to grow as dancers and as a team.
As a rehearsal director, my main focus was developing work and social ethics in the company and establishing an open dialogue with the team. But, in many ways, dancers' physical and mental health would always come first place.
I contributed to teaching and curating dance training, office organization, stage coordination, and digging into choreographic research. In addition, I did the choreographic assistance for the productions:
Impression (2018), Becoming (2019), Dimension (2020), Oscillation (2020), and Momentum (2021).
Image: Theater und Orchester Heidelberg
DANCING OUR STORIES
This peculiar project has a special place in my heart. First, the project allowed me to encounter persons not directly related to the professional dance field; in Dancing Our Stories, I developed new ways of articulating words, making my communication more inclusive. The project allowed me to create a horizontal communication format where the dance hierarchy has no place.
In Dancing Our Stories, I collaborated as a movement researcher, a report developer, a schedule coordinator, an active viewer, and a dance participant.
Many thanks to Edan Gorlick for trusting me in this project representing the company Inter-Actions, and to Migration Hub Heidelberg for the fantastic support and investment in my personal development.
You can have a sneak peek at the project by checking on TikTok @dancingourstories #CreatorsForDiversity.