Angelin
Preljocaj

Jury member of Benois de la Danse

Benois de la Danse laureate

Angelin Preljocaj was born in 1957 from Albanian parents. He studied ballet and took classes of modern dance with Karin Waehner at la Schola Cantorum. After having studied at the Merce Cunningham Courses in New York (1980), he danced with some French companies and in 1982 moved to Montpellier where he presented his first works as a choreographer.

In December 1984 Angelin Preljocaj is awarded the prize of the Ministry of Culture, set up his own company at Champigny-sur-Marne and created for it “Larmes Blanches” (1985) and “A nos Heros” (1986).

In 1987 having become a laureate of the “Villa Medici beyond Walls” prize he went to Japan to study theatre No. Upon his return he created some compositions for Festival d'Avignon and National Centre of Modern Dance. In 1992 Angelin Preljocaj received Grand Prix National de la Danse from the Ministry of Culture and in 1993 got invited with his company to the Paris Opera where he presented the One-act-ballets Evening “Hommage aux Ballets Russes”. In 1994 he created for the Paris Opera Ballet “Le Parc“ by Mozart. Next year he worked at Chateauvallon and at the Munich Ballet. He also received the Benois de la Danse for „The Park” at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow.

In 1996 his company settled down in Aix-en-Provence. Foreign companies included some of his works in their repertory: the Monte-Carlo Ballet renewed his “Spectre de la Rose”, the Toscana Ballet — “Liqueurs de Chair”, the Paris Opera — “Annonciation”, the Nancy Ballet — “Spectre de la Rose”. Angelin Preljocaj received Bessy (Thirteenth edition of the New York Prize for mastership in Dance and Drama) and a prize Victoires de la Musique.

In 1998 he got the title of Artistic Councellor at Deutsche Oper in Berlin and Chevalier of Legion d'Honneur. In the same year he created “Casanova” for the Paris Opera Ballet.
The works of Mr. Preljocaj have been staged in Rio-de-Janeiro, Lisbon, Berlin, Helsinki and at the Festival d'Avignon.