SOFIA NAPPI
GUEST CHOREOGRAPHER 2024/25
The international choreographer and dancer from Italy trained at the Ailey School in New York and deepened her studies internationally. The close contact with the Hofesh Shechter Dance Company and her involvement with Ohad Naharin’s Gaga language had a particular influence on her work.
Sofia Nappi is artistic director and co-founder of KOMOCO, supported by the contemporary dance collective Sosta Palmizi in Turin and her first muses Adriano Popolo Rubbio and Paolo Piancastelli. Already with her first pieces for KOMOCO / Sofia Nappi, she won the Introdans Partner Award 2021 at the Rotterdam International Duet Choreography Competition 2021 as well as the First Prize, the Critics’ Prize and the Production Prize of the Tanja-Liedtke-Stiftung at the 35th International Competition for Choreography Hannover 2021.
KOMOCO / Sofia Nappi has performed in Germany, Austria, the USA, Italy, the Netherlands, Israel, France, Albania, Spain, the Canary Islands, Mexico, Kosovo, Belgium and Hungary as well as at numerous Italian and international festivals and dance platforms, including La Biennale Di Venezia, the Albania Meeting Dance Festival, the RomaEuropa Festival, MASDANZA, the COLOURS International Dance Festival in Stuttgart and the Teatro del Canal Madrid.
What’s more, Sofia Nappi regularly collaborates as a freelance choreographer with renowned international ballet and dance companies: In December 2021, she staged her piece Holelah, originally created for La Biennale Di Venezia 2019, with the ballet company of the Nationaltheater Mannheim. 2023 saw the world premieres of Tagadà for the Staatsballett Hannover and Moving Cloud for the Scottish Dance Theater as a contribution to the bill Celtic Connections. A new creation for the Dutch company Introdans celebrated its premiere in May 2023. For 2024, the Nederlands Dans Theater has commissioned a new work from her, and she will sign for the choreography for dancers and chorus in the opera Platée for the GöteborgsOperan. And her company KOMOCO / Sofia Nappi will premiere a full length evening created by her.
At the same time, Sofia Nappi works internationally in research and professional training, e.g. at the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, at the Micadanses Dance Research Center at Le Carreau du Temple in Paris, at the Henny Jurriëns Studio in Amsterdam, at Elephant in the Black Box and at Danza180 in Madrid, at Tanzpunkt Hannover, at the D. A.F. Dance Arts Faculty in Rome, at the Balletto di Toscana or at Opus Ballet in Florence, always in close collaboration with the dancers of her company KOMOCO / Sofia Nappi.
© photo: Roberto Graziani
SAY DANCE
GUEST CHOREOGRAPHERS 2024/25
SAY was founded by Sarah Golding and Yukiko Masui in 2019 and have been associate artists at DanceEast since 2022. In 2020, they were selected by The Place to be part of the Choreodrome residency to develop the concept for their show titled “the album” which has since then toured nationally and internationally, co-produced by The Place and commissioned by DanceEast. They performed an excerpt of this piece at this year’s National Theatre Riverstage (“the album:live”) with UK Beatbox champion MC Zani. Alongside this they were commissioned to create a family version of the show that is in its third year of touring to schools and outdoor festivals (“the album: skool edition”).
As a duo they have recently been featured dancers in the film “The Marvels” and were dance captains and performers in the Commonwealth Opening Ceremony 2022.
In 2020 they made a film work “Transit-20” in collaboration with South African artists and were part of Dance Umbrella to showcase their first dance film work “SAY:AF (and friends)”. SAY have recently created work for Trinity Laban (“Break It Down”) and National Dance Company Wales (“SAY Something”) which will be back on the road in the Autumn 2023.
Most recently, they were part of the creative team as movement directors on “The Effect” at National Theatre directed by Jamie Lloyd and written by Lucy Prebble.
© photo: Henry Curtis
JOSS ARNOTT
Artistic Director, Emergence
Founding Joss Arnott Dance in 2010, Joss is an internationally award-winning choreographer who has been continuously supported and commissioned by leading UK dance agencies, venues and funding organisations. Joss is in demand as a choreographer and has been commissioned to create work for professional dance companies including Rambert and leading dance conservatoires.
His artistic vision is fuelled by creating a portfolio of work for a diverse range of audiences which are at the heart of everything he produces, including indoor, outdoor and family-orientated productions. He has a trademark, athletic choreographic language that is grown from classical and commercial techniques, shaped by contemporary aesthetic and inspired by music.
Joss strives for innovation of the highest quality and curates world-class collaborations for Joss Arnott Dance which became evident in 2015 with the company’s 5th-anniversary tour that featured live music from the world’s premier solo percussionist, Dame Evelyn Glennie
With a commitment and passion for talent development, Joss has been a Focus Group Artist for Sadler’s Well’s National Youth Dance Company, BBC Young Dancer consultant and has worked with and produced multiple works for the National Centre for Advance training Schemes.
2018 marked the year of the newly formed partnership between Joss Arnott Dance and the University of Salford with the launch of a new MA Dance: Performance and Professional Practices programme that established EMERGENCE, now the UK’s leading industry-led, postgraduate dance company that tours newly commissioned performance work by internationally acclaimed choreographers annually.
© photo: Josh Hawkins
