photo galerie BREATHE

BREATHE (première June 20th 2016) is a dance-theatre production by Maggie Boogaart (Amsterdam, 1970) in which she shares with her audience her fascination for the secret life of trees, their overwhelming power, the life(forms) they present, shelter, nourish on earth, the oxygene they provide and their extraordinary way of communicating. These almost eternel organisms, sometimes residing on earth for over a thousand years, are silent witnesses of all human action. Without any judgment to the activities around them, they remain the bearers of calmth, peace and life.  VIDEO of a rehearsal of BREATHE April 22nd 2016

"We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children" - Native American proverb


The message Boogaart would like to share with breathe is the urgent state our planet finds itself in today, in specific the life forms and especially nature. Pollution and deforestation reign ... species disappear ... insects are endangered. BREATHE is a silent cry for the forests on our planet. Is life possible on our planet when there are no more trees? 

BREATHE
Choreography : Maggie Boogaart
Music : Chieko Hayashi (mezzosoprano-live), Jan Garbarek (recorded)
Dancers : Cyprien van Accoleyen, Maggie Boogaart, François Huet, Lauriane Nabet
Assistant technique : Imke Driessen
With special thanks to François Frieh, Antoine Carrence & Centre de Danse du Marais and Ghislain de Compreignac

PERFORMANCE DATES of BREATHE : 
June 20th 19:00hrs
June 22th  21:00hrs
Addresse : Théâtre de Belleville, 94 rue du Faubourg du Temple, 75011 Paris - France

ABOUT THE CHOREOGRAPHER :

Boogaart started her dance training the age of 4 with ballet classes in the dance school of her mother (ex-dancer of ‘Nederlands Opera Ballet’), entered the pre-professional training program at Dance Academy Rotterdam (NL - now called ‘CODARTS’) and got her BA in contemporary dance & choreography at London Contemporary Dance School (GB). She had the chance of working with inspiring choreographers all over the world (Aukje Gorter-Arnhem, Jeanet Stoner-NYC, Ann Carlson- NYC, Suki John-NYC...). Being part of these creative processes lead by creative and highly experienced choreographers, inspired Boogaart to create theater and a movement language of her own. In 1994, Boogaart founded her own dance company Dragon Productions; at the same time she received a scholarship to further her studies at the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance (NYC) to deepened her knowledge of this strong fundamental contemporary dance technique, as well as choreographic composition and Martha Graham repertory. Boogaart continued dancing for other contemporary choreographers, as well as developing dance-theater productions for her own company in collaboration with skilled artists in different disciplines. In 1998 she returned to her native town to continue building her own company, guest-dance for other choreographers, while sharing her knowledge of the Martha Graham Technique with students at the dance academies in the Netherlands. In addition, Boogaart started developing special workshops and conferences on non-verbal communication, empowerment workshops etc. As “body coach”, for example, she has been coaching managers in the business world (ABN/AMRO bank, UNILEVER etc) since 2006. In 2010, Boogaart ended her company and moved to Paris-France. This geographical move opened many new horizons, as she now started receiving international recognition and invitations to dance, choreograph and teach, as well as validation of her teaching by the Martha Graham School in NYC. She met Peter Sparling (ex-principal MGDC), who has since been her mentor, invited her to guest-teach in Michigan University and created a solo for her. In 2012, Boogaart & Ghislain de Compreignac (ex-soloist Ballet du Nord and her husband), founded a professional dance training program (Paris Marais Dance School for ballet & contemporary-Graham) at the Centre de Danse du Marais, providing constant research possibilities for better training for todays dancers, as well as the PMDS Junior Ballet, of which Boogaart is the founder and main choreographer. Mid 2014, Boogaart met the young British choreographer Eliot Smith, and became the mentor of this young choreographer as well as international patron of his company; in 2015, she created “SPACE” on commission by Eliot Smith Company. End 2015, Boogaart received an invitation by political scientist and journalist Virginie Martin, to embark on a series of coaching in non-verbal communication and presentation for Kedge Business School in Paris. Boogaart is currently preparing a new dance-theatre production for her PMDS Junior Ballet Company called “Breathe”, inspired by the emerging attention for the world’s ecology, to be premiered May 2016. VIDEO with excerpts of Boogaart's choreographies for Dragon Productions 1994-2009

"We won't have a society if we destroy the environment " - Albert Einstein

About the project owner

CHOREOGRAPHER Maggie Boogaart

Choreographer, ex-soliste
Director company Dragon Productions, Amsterdam (1994-2009)
London Contemporary Dance School (B.A.), Martha Graham School, NYC
Teacher of Martha Graham technique & repertory by agreement of the faculty of the Martha Graham School, NYC
D.E., diplôme d’Etat (French diploma for teacher of contemporary dance)
International Patron Eliot Smith Company, UK

• Links :  Youtube – Biography – Letters of recommandation
• www.maggieboogaart.com –  www.dragonproductions.nl

Maggie Boogaart, soloist dancer and choreographer internationally since 1991, has been living & working in Paris since 2010. 

Trained at the Martha Graham School in New-York (USA) and at London Contemporary Dance School (GB), Boogaart had the chance of studying with great teachers like Pearl Lang, Jacquelyn Buglisi, Therese Cappucili, Kenneth Topping, Christine Dakin, Elizabeth Auclair, Armgard von Bardeleben and Dudley Williams. Her studies in choreographical composition with Pearl Lang and Jane Dudley, have enabled her to embark on large choreographical works and deepen her movement language. In 2010 Boogaart met ex-Graham principal, choreographer and screendance artist Peter Sparling, who has been her mentor since.

Boogaart has had the chance to work with, often as invited guest-soloist, choreographers such as Peter Sparling (Ann Arbor - USA), Suki John (NYC), Jeanette Stoner (NYC), Ann Carlson (NYC), Yoka van Brummelen (Amsterdam), Pandora (La Haye), Aukje Gorter (Arnhem),  ...  for over 24 years. She has taught from 1998 to 2009 at all the "dansacademies" in the Netherlands, founded her company Dragon Productions in 1994 and directed as well as choreographed for it until end 2009 16 evening length productions in New York City (USA), Münster (D) and Amsterdam (NL). 

Boogaart is married to Ghislain de Compreignac (ex-soloist dancer / choreographer / teacher of classical ballet) and now lives in Paris, France, where she continues her work as independant choreographer, for example for the Junior Ballet PMDS. Boogaart and Compreignac co-founded and since co-direct the professional training program and open classes of Paris Marais Dance School. Boogaart is the international patron of Eliot Smith Company in Newcastle (Great Britain).

PERFORMERS OF BREATHE: (in alphabetical order)

Cyprien van Accoleyen (France, 1997) dancer, comes from the Languedoc. After studies in improvisation with choreographer Wes Howard in Castelnaudary, he entered the professional training program Paris Marais Dance School in September 2015. BREATHE is his first performance experience with Boogaart.

Maggie Boogaart (Amsterdam, 1970) soloist > resume with this link


François Huet (France 1991) dancer, comes from Paris. After training and performing with different urban dance groups and studies at the Centre National de la Danse, he entered the professional training program Paris Marais Dance School in January 2015. François has previously danced Boogaart's BALAGUE June 2015 in the Netherlands (Toneelschuur Haarlem) and Paris (Cirque d'Hiver).


Lauriane Nabet (France 1993) soloist, comes from Melun. After dance studies at the conservatory of Melun, as well as studies in chemistry at l’Université Pierre et Marie Curie, she entered the professional training program Paris Marais Dance School in 2013. Since October 2014, she has been dancing in the Junior Ballet PMDS, under direction of Maggie Boogaart several of her creations. In 2015, she was chosen by choreographer Tebby Ramasike for a performance tour in Spain in his choreography "Who Dunn 't". BREATHE is the third creation she will dance of Boogaart.


MEZZO SOPRANO Chieko Hayashi :
Chieko Hayashi was born in Kumagaya in Japon.
She started her studies in singing in 1980 at the University of Music in Toho-Gakuen in Tokyo with teacher Toshiko Goto, and received her diploma in 1984. Upon her arrival in France in 1984 she furthered her studies with highly acclaimed teacher Yaël Benzaquen. Hayashi has specialized in French melody with Régine Crespin and Camille Maurane and she now perfects her technique and knowledge with Françoise Kubler in contemporary singing.

Since 1986, Hayashi travels between Japan, France and Europe (Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany, Portugal, Armenia...) performing concerts of Britten, Honneger, Berio, Pergolesi, Schubert..., or "mélodie" with orchestras (Chausson, Ravel, de Falla...), chamber music (Ravel, Stravinsky, Schönberg, Berio, Aperghis...), as well as concerts of contemporary composers (Messiaen, Visvikis, Dusapin, Aperghis, Jarrell, Dortort, Prawerman, Berg, Globokar...) and classical composers (Fauré, Debussy, Ravel, Stravinsky, Groupe des Six...).

Since 1990, she has been having numerous collaborations with actors and dancers for theater productions like « Le poète dans les coulisses » and « E＝♂＋♀ » as well as contemporary creations « Tombeau », « Love city », « Voix Publique » and « Impasse ».
Since 2008 she has been collaborating with artist Cécile Le Talec, creating concerts/performances, films and writing scores.
Chieko Hayashi is an artist who gives importance to continuously develop her skills in the contemporary repertory. She is in demand for collaborating with her special scenic and vocal qualities in theater and dance performances.

Hayashi performed in June 2011 in Boogaart's "PASSION".
BREATHE is the second collaboration between Hayashi and Boogaart.

Since 1992 she regularly performs concerts in different cities in Japan.
Hayashi has registered several cd's: "Shéhérazade" from Ravel in 2001 with conductor Hisayoshi Inoue and the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra and "Harawi" by Olivier Messiaen with Ken'ichi Nakagawa on piano in 2002.

Prices :
- 1985 : Lauréate du Concours Franco-Japonais du Japon
- 1986 : Lauréate du Concours Musical de France
- 1987 : Lauréate du Concours International de Musique de l'U.F.A.M.
- 1993 : Grand Prix Fauré du Concours International d'Interprétation de la Mélodie Française
- 2012 : « Keizo Saji Prize» (Suntory Foundation for Arts) au Japon