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1 985, Ismael Ivo has been settling in Berlin. He works in close cooperation with the German dancetheatre choreographer Johann Kresnik and the Japanes Ushio Amagatsu, the director and choreographer of the world famous ensemble Sakai Juku. This wide varietry of experiences blended into his afro-brasilien roots. With his many solo programs, Phoenix (1 985), Under Skin (1 987), Delirium of a Childhood (1 989) and Circular Ruins (1 991 ). Ivo has been performing all over the world. In 1 992. he toured together with the Japanese pianist Takashi Kako with the production Apocalypse. His first group choreography, Labyrinthos had premiere at the Theaterhaus Stuttgart, ivo has already been collaborating with Johann Kresnik for Phoenix and for Mars (Theater Basel, Switzerland). For over ten years now, Ismael Ivo has been the artistic director of the dance meeting »Internationale Tanzwochen Wien«. ■
JOHANN KRESNIK Born in 1939 in Karnten, Austria. His first contacts with the theatre world began while he was working as super-numerary and increased with his dance studies. Graz, Bremen, Cologne and New York were further stations of his career as classical balletdancer. In 1 967, he started with his own choreographical works. As of 1 968, he has been directing for ten years the dance theatre »Bremer Tanztheater«. This period was followed by another ten years as choreographer and stage director at the Theatre of Heidelberg, four years at the Theatre of Bremen and, from 1 993 onwards, at the »Volksbühne« Berlin: at the same time, by numerous guest contracts with theatre and opera houses of repute such as »Deutsche Oper« and »Freie Volksbühne«, Berlin, »Salzburger Festspiele«, »Theater an der Wien«, Vienna, »Staatstheater«, Stuttgart, »Theater Basel«, etc. In his »Choreographical Theatre«, Kresnik abandons the harmony of classical dance. He distorts its elements, thus creating scenical situations, shocking and yet, fascinating enormously. ■
MARA BORBA She grew up in Sao Paulo, Brasil. Early after the end of her modern ballet, studies, she started her own choreographical works, among others for the Ballet, of the City of Sao Paolo, while performing there as a choreographer and dancer: several of her choreographies received an award. In 1 985, she directed and co-choreographed Ismael Ivo's solo program »Phoenix«, a production premiered in the Berlin Schaubuhne and toured later all over Europe with high success. For many years she has been working as a teacher during the dance-meetings of »Internationale Tanzwochen Wien«. ■
TERO SAARINEN After five years of classical studies at the Finnish National Opera Ballet School, he studied Nepales dance in Kathmandu and Japanese Butoh-dance with Kazuo Ohno in Tokio. Together with the Finnish National Ballet, he performed all over the world. His solos »BÍ 2« and »Behind« were also highly acclaimed, in cities like New York, Tel Aviv, Vienna, Helsinki, and many others. In 1 988 he won the first price in the Modern Section of the International Dance Competition in Paris. In 1 993, he worked for the first time as a choreographer for the Finnish National Ballet. Among others he worked together with Jorma Uotinen, Carolyn Carlson, Murray Louis and Daniel Ezra low. ■
PENELOPE WEHRLI Performance, installation, film and video artist. Born in Switzerland, lives in New York and Berlin. Beside of own proiekts she is engaged in theater since years and has been designing stage and costumes for a number of Kresnik's stirring productions. ■