GIGI CACIULEANU
CHOREOGRAPHER DANCER - TEACHER

Gigi Caciuleanu

Gigi Caciuleanu was born in Bucarest and if French by nationality. After graduating from the Bucarest High School for Dance, Gigi became a student of Messerer and Varlamov at the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow, following which Gigi began his career at the National Opera in Bucarest. There he became a solo dancer in the classical repertory : Swan lake, Petroucka, etc..., also dancing these roles during tours in Russia, Spain, Austria etc. During this period, he started, as creator and interpreter, to collaborate with Miriam Raducanu. Their resach into new forms of dance, nearer to the theatre than traditional classical dance, gave "Nocturn" - two years long weekly performances in Bucarest.

As invited star dancer at the Royal Ballet of Flanders (Belgium), Gigi developed his interest in choreography, and gradually broke with the classical tradition. Following his own way, he began to "collect" first prizes in International Competitions : Varna, Köln, Paris - Bagnolet... A few years later he himself became a jury member for these same competitions.

Choreographer at the Folkwang Ballet (founded by Kurt Joos at Essen-FRG), at Cologne's Tanz Forum, his creations were danced in Bonn and the London Round House. He was also invited to the Rome, Edinburgh, Carthage and Hammamet dance festivals, and the English Bach Festival. Working with the Folkwang Ballet with Pina Bausch he developed new forms and ideas included in the new so called DANCE-THEATER.

1973 : He was noticed by Rosella Hightower, who invited him to her Dance Centre in Cannes. With her help Gigi CACIULEANU founded the Studio de Danse Contemporaine at the Grand Théâtre de Nancy (France). This subsequently became "Les Ballets de Lorraine - Danse Contemporaine de France". Director of the company until 1978, he brought the Company's repertory up to more than 30 works, ranging widely from classical to world premier productions.

1974-1978 : His work was appreciated by the French Ministry of Culture and he was elected as member of the French Société des Auteurs, and of the UNESCO International Dance Council. Louis Ducreux, Director of the Nancy Opera, encouraged his tours : Paris, Aix-en-Provence, London and Cardiff. Gigi invited many young French choreographers to Nancy, such as Dominique Bagouet and Jacques Garnier. He reorganized the "Rencontres Chorégraphiques de Prémontrés", offering opportunities to young winners of the Bagnolet competitions (Maguy Marin, Suzanne Linke), and initiated "La Danse à Aix-en-Provence", for which he was awarded the Town Medal.

"Un train peut en cacher un autre" photo: Alain Dugas

1978-1993 : He was nomitated Director of the Centre National Chorégraphique at Rennes. There he founded a new company, with a modern dance repertory. This received widespread presse coverage, with general recognition of his personal style. Gigi's associates have included Rosella Hightower, Alan Howard, Marius Constant, Pina Bausch, Jeannine Richer, Jean- Michel Jarre, Guy Tudy, François Rabbath, Claude Lefebvre, Marguerita Walmann, Jean Le Poulain, Henri Ronse, ...He has shared the stage with Maina Gielgud, Yvette Chauviré, Svetlana Beriozova, Ruxandra Racovitza, Anton Dolin, Reda Sheta, Adam Luders, Jean-Pierre Franchetti, Peggy Lyman, Patrick Dupond...and invited Viktor Rona, Jean-Christophe Paré, Jean Guizerix, Brigitte Lefevre, Michael Denard, Ghislaine Thesmar, ... etc...Pierre Cardin has produced his creations at Paris, Tokyo, Buenos Aires, Mexico, and in Sao Paulo. His choreographies have been included in the repertories of the Operas de Paris, Lyon, Hamburg, and Rome, at the Wupperthaler Tanztheater, Venice Teatro La Fenice, Théâtre d'Avignon, and the Cardiff Welsh National Opera. With the Rennes Company, Gigi's creations were presented in West Berlin, at Istanbul, Lisbon, Casablanca, Rabat, Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Toulouse, and, of course, Rennes. They have also been programmed on the French TV channels, TF1, Antenne 2 and FR3, on the Berlin SFB, on the BBC, NHK of Japan, Ostenkino in Russia... He has participated in the International Festivals of Venice, Cologne, Geneva, Nicaragua, and Guatemala. John Neumeyer has invited him as choreographer for his german dance company.

Gigi was awarded the Medal of the Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et Lettres. Murray Luis and Alwin Nikolais (New York) chose him for a joint project, in Paris and Taormina. At Paris his creations have been presented at : Théâtre de la Vile de Paris, Espace Pierre Cardin, Théâtre Jean-Louis Barrault/Madeleine Renaud, Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord (Peter Brook), Centre National Georges Pompidou, Théâtre Contemporain de la Danse( Théâtre de Paris), Opéra Comique. He has toured the four continents.

"Ma Nuit avec Nijinsky" photo: Catherine Duteriez

Starting in 1993, Gigi Caciuleanu's Dance Company is working and creating in Paris, based at the famous Salle Pleyel. He is an international jury member of the most important choreographic events : Paris Dance Internationl Competition. "Maya" Competition in St. Petersburg... He has created a new dance for Maïa Plissetskaïa "La Folle de Chaillot", presented at Bolchoi Theater of Moskow and TV Ostenkino of Russia. Directing his parisien dance company (Pierre Cardin is the President of the new company). Gigi Caciuleanu participates as both performer and choreographic director in his new creations in both Paris and France as well as aboard : Teatro a la Scalla (Milano), National Ballet of Montevideo, Ballet of Paraguay and the National Dance Company of Santiago de Chili, Bat-Dor Dance Company from Israel, Royal Opera House of Liege, Teatro de les Flores of Barcelona, ... In 1994 the Company left Rennes definitively for Paris. The name of the company became "COMPAGNIE GIGI CACIULEANU" and is based at the famous SALLE PLEYEL. :

"Oskolki" - Espace Pierre Cardin de Paris.
"Sommaire Soleil" à la Péniche Opéra de Paris.
"Ma Nuit avec Nijinsky" - (Paris - Théâtre Espace Acteur and Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord).
"La Follia" - Centre Georges Pompidou with the Jeune Ballet de France.

New tours in Russia (Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Samara), Italy (Torino), and Switzerland (Baden), were all successful. Whilst keeping its base in the centre of Paris, the Company also became the resident dance company of Colombes, which is on the outskirts of Paris. The residency allows the Company to exercise the breadth of its experience : new works "Eleonore takes flight", 1996/97, "Masked Ball" 1997/98, "Trilogo" 1998/99), dance classes, choreographic workshops and close involvement in the Colombes educational sector.

At the same time the Company has shown works in Paris (Café de la Danse, the "Estivales", Salle Pleyel, Divan du Monde), as well as all over France (Clermont-Ferrand, Issy les Moulineaux, Puteaux, Rueil Malmaison, Biarritz, Franconville, Villiers le Bel, Saint Gervais, Opéra de Vichy, Aurillac, Saint Gervais, Fosses, Bouffemont, Châteauroux, Festival de Millau, Melun, Creil, Saint Brice, Jouy le Moutier, Ermont, Boulogne Billancourt). In January 1998 he made a television programme for Romanian television and the Romanian National Theatre called "The World of Dance". The Company invited many internationally know dancers and choreographers from Germany, Holland, Israel and France, which provoked a profound effect on the choreography in Romania.

1996-98: Gigi was regularly invited to Santiago, Montevideo and Tel Aviv to create "The four Seasons" and "Mozartissimo - Suites et Passions". On winning the Prize for the Best New Choreographic Work of the Year in Chile, Catherine Trautmann, French Minister of Culture formally addressed her congratulations for taking French choreography abroad. Gigi has also been invited in 1999 to create new choreographic works for the National Ballets of Santiago, Buenos Aires and Torino.

"Adieu Odessa"

1999 - The recent new work "Adieu Odessa" was danced at the Sudden Theatre in Paris for one month (15 january to 15 February); in Romania there is a new association with the International Festival of Constanta where the Company danced "Oskolki - Shattered Mirrors"; an invitation has been made to choreograph for Ballet-Theatre Oleg Danowski with "Mozartissimo - Suite et Passions"; a new work for the end of the year has been commissioned for the Bucharest National Theatre ("Happiness - I want it too").

GIGI CACIULEANU is pursuing his artistic and creative ambitions at the head of the Company which bears his name, in Paris.