Léonard Engel transposes animal behaviours such as mimicry and mating rituals onto the human anatomy as the basis for his choreographic practice. He raises the question of the artistic value of animal dances and reconsiders the hierarchy of the species.
JANUARY 14 | AUDIODESKRIPTION + HAPTIC ACCESS TOUR
LÉONARD ENGEL, born in France, is a Berlin and Munich based performer and choreographer. He started his career as a ballet dancer at the Bavarian State Ballet, before becoming a freelance artist. He has worked with Laurent Chétouane, Meg Stuart, Moriah Evans, Paula Rosolen, Gintersdorfer/Klaßen and the Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch among others. His choreographic work focuses on the body and the alteration of its perception through movement, costumes and states of being. His first piece, Pavane, premiered in 2019 as part of the Tanztage Berlin at Sophiensaele, followed the same year by How to get rid of a body. A magic manual. Parotia, his first group piece, was created in November 2021. He’s currently working on the subject of masculinity in dance, and the “depatriarcalisation” of the representation of the male body on stage. Léonard’s pieces have been invited to Hybrid Festival (Berlin), Soundance Festival (Berlin) and the Rodeo Festival (Munich). For his choreographic work, he’s been granted residencies in Tanzfabrik Berlin and in PACT Zollverein (Essen, GE).
DURATION 45 Min. CONCEPT, CHOREOGRAPHY, PERFORMANCE Léonard Engel MUSIc, PERFORMANCE Korhan Erel DRAMATURGY Maja Zimmermann