FEDORA - In Conversation with Benoit Swan Pouffer

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19 March 2025

Paris / France

FEDORA Artists Series, Winners

Last month, we had an inspiring conversation with Benoit Swan Pouffer, Artistic Director of Rambert, lead company of Invisible Cities, the groundbreaking production that won the FEDORA VAN-CLEEF & ARPELS Dance Prize in 2019. This ambitious project blended multiple art forms, including dance, theatre, digital projections, and an unconventional performance space, redefining the boundaries of contemporary dance.

Stéphane Argyropoulos, the President of FEDORA, welcomed guests on the special occasion. During the conversation moderated by the Edilia Gänz, Director of FEDORA, guests had the chance to ask questions about the creation process and the planned activities of the Rambert company.

Benoit shed light on the importance of innovation in dance — pushing artistic limits and exploring mixed media in order to create new forms of expression. Invisible Cities exemplifies this approach, bringing together different disciplines to craft an immersive, one-of-a-kind experience.

Benoit also highlighted how crucial FEDORA’s support has been in the realisation of that artistic project, enabling the creative team to bring their vision to life on such an ambitious scale. “Stretching the boundaries of the perception of what dance is today, that’s innovation. We would have never been able to do it without FEDORA. You saw the vision, you understood where we were going.”

Our discussion also touched on the lasting relationship between FEDORA and its prize winners. Over the years, we have had the pleasure of witnessing Rambert’s continued artistic evolution, and it truly is inspiring to see how Invisible Cities and subsequent projects have contributed to shaping the future of dance.

Conversations like these remind us of the power of collaboration in the performing arts. As we celebrate innovative creations and the artists behind them, we look forward to supporting more visionary projects that challenge and expand the art form.

Invisible Cities, Winner of the FEDORA VAN - CLEEF & ARPELS Dance prize 2019

Centered on the edgy relationship between Kublai Khan, the volatile head of a vast empire, and explorer Marco Polo, this spellbinding mix of theatre, choreography, music, architectural design and projection mapping imagines a succession of alternative worlds – and reimagines what is possible in live performance.

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Discover Rambert's latest production

A new dance theatre event, delving into the story of Tommy Shelby and the Peaky Blinders, written by the author of the global hit television series, directed and choreographed by Benoit Swan Pouffer and performed by Rambert.

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