For ten years now, French born Eric Oberdorff is the director and choreographer of the Compagnie Humaine which he founded in 2002. Curious about mankind, considering his role as an artist like that of a privileged observer of the world around him, his choreographic works explore the relationship to another, and confront all contradictory energies that drive us.

He has since then created for his company twenty projects which are performed in France and in Europe..

Eric is also frequently invited to create or recreate pieces of his repertoire in France, Germany, Switzerland, the United States for internationally renowned companies including Ballet National de Marseille, Ballet du Grand Theatre de Geneve, Ballett Staatstheater Mainz, Ballett Theater Hagen, University of North Carolina School of the Arts, etc..

Eclectic artist and eager to explore all possible fields of expression, he is involved in projects in various fields of Art: he works with directors and actors on theater productions, directs short films and documentaries, contributes to academic works and researches, etc. Born in Lyon, Eric began very early his practice of martial arts. He studied dance at the National Conservatoire of Nice and at the Rosella Hightower International Dance School of Cannes, before joining the the Paris Opera School of Ballet. He was then hired by the Salzburg Landestheater Ballet, the Zürich Opera Ballet and the Ballets de Monte Carlo.

Touring around the world, he danced among others in choreographies by Kylian, Balanchine, Forsythe, Maillot, Childs, Uotinen, Godani, Armitage, Neumeier, Frey, Bournonville, Petit, Fokine, Massine, Lifar, Tudor, Bienert, etc.

In the same period of time and in parallel with his performing career, he continued his martial arts practice and studied the work of actor and staging. Quite naturally he started to choreograph.

His work regularly receives proves of recognition in France and abroad:

in june 2001, he is awarded the 1st Prize at the International Choreographic Competition of Hanover (Germany) with his piece Impression lumières fugitives and is named among the outstanding young choreographers of the year 2001 on Ballett-Tanz Aktuell magazine ; he is nominated in 2007 for the ‘Kurt Jooss Prize’ with the duet Absence ; in 2009 he is awarded by the Grant Committee of the Association Beaumarchais-SACD (French Society of Authors and Composers) for is creation Un autre rêve américain, and his documentary Sur la route de Petrouchka is labelled by the European Commission ; he wins in 2011 for his short film Butterfly Soul (teaser) the First Prize at the ‘Cornwall Film Festival’ (Great Britain) in the category ‘Dance Camera Action’.

CAREER PATH (past main events)

2011

Compagnie Humaine (France) - creation of Leviathan

Compagnie Humaine (France) - creation of Butterfly Soul

awarded with the 1rst Prize at the Cornwall Film Festival 2011 (GB) for the Dance Camera Action competition with the short movie Butterfly Soul/teaser

UNCSA - University of North Carolina School of the Arts (USA) - creation of Holden C.

Compagnie du Dire-Dire (France) - choreographic advisor for the play Neige

2010

Geneva/Ballet du Grand Théâtre (Switzerland) - creation of Être

Ballet National de Marseille (France) - creation of Les vertiges de l'immobilité

Jeune Ballet of National Superior Conservertoire of Lyon (France) - creation of Antoine D.

2009

awarded by the Grant Committee of the Association Beaumarchais-SACD (French Society of Authors and Composers)

Compagnie Humaine (France) - creation of Un autre rêve américain

Compagnie Humaine (France) - creation of Corps étranger, dance/theater piece based on the French author Didier Van Cauwelaert's novel

Ballett Theater Hagen (Germany) - re-staging of Libre (Germany's Premiere) & Absence

Compagnie Humaine (France) - creation of Breathing, museum-performance in the work of visual artist Aurélie Mathigot

2008

Compagnie Humaine (France) - creation of Libre

Teatro all'Improvviso (Italy) - choreographic advisor for the play for children La casa dei divieti

2007

nominated for the Kurt Joos Prize

Ballett Staatstheater Mainz (Germany) - creation of Little Voices In My Head

La Saeta ( France) - choreographic advisor for the play Blue beard 

2006

Compagnie Humaine (France) - creation of Enola's Children

Compagnie Humaine (France) - creation of Sarajevo's Diary

Compagnie Humaine (France) - creation of 4.48 Psychosis, dance/theater piece based on the play by English author Sarah Kane

Ballett Staatstheater Mainz (Germany) - creation of A Momentary Lapse of Being

Filming & editing of the dance video Inside The Cube in the installation of the artist Nadine Spinoza The White Cube

Compagnie Humaine ( France) - creation of Sometimes

Cannes Jeune Ballet (France) - creation of Où sont passées..?

Filming & editing of the video projected during the piece Sometimes

Compagnie Humaine - creation of Les Murs, a strolling outdoor performance

Filming & editing of the video projected during the piece Les Murs

Tanzcompagnie Giessen (Germany) - creation of Prometheusspuren in a collaboration with the choreographers Tarek Assam and Paulina Wycichowska

Compagnie Humaine (France) - creation of Territoire Zéro

Filming & editing of the video projected during the piece Territoire Zéro

Jeune Ballet CNSMD Lyon (France) - creation of Bord de fuite

Compagnie Humaine ( France) - creation of Self Service

Awarded with the First Prize at the Hanover International Competition for young choreographers with the piece Impression lumières fugitives

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