Foofwa d’Imobilité (born 24 March 1969) is a Swiss dancer and choreographer. He lives and works in
Geneva, Switzerland
Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the capital of the Republic and Ca ...
, and
Brooklyn, New York
Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
.
Life and career
Foofwa d’Imobilité was born Frédéric Gafner in Geneva, Switzerland. His mother was
Beatriz Consuelo, a Brazilian ballerina/dance teacher, and his father was Claude Gafner, a Swiss dancer and photographer. Gafner studied at the Ecole de Danse de Geneva and performed as a member of the Geneva Ballet Junior. From 1987-1990, he worked as a dancer and soloist with the
Stuttgart Ballet
Stuttgart Ballet is a leading German ballet company. Dating back to 1609, then the court ballet of the dukes of Württemberg, the modern company was founded by John Cranko and is known for full-length narrative ballets. The company received the ...
. From 1991-1998, he was a dancer with the
Merce Cunningham Dance Company
Mercier Philip "Merce" Cunningham (April 16, 1919 – July 26, 2009) was an American dancer and choreographer who was at the forefront of American modern dance for more than 50 years. He frequently collaborated with artists of other discipl ...
.
Gafner changed his name in the mid-1990s to Foofwa d’Imobilité.
In 1998 he began working as a choreographer, and in 2000 founded Neopost Ahrrrt, where he serves as Artistic Director.
Honors and awards
*2009
Foundation for Contemporary Arts
The Foundation for Contemporary Arts (FCA), is a nonprofit based foundation in New York City that offers financial support and recognition to contemporary performing and visual artists through awards for artistic innovation and potential. It was ...
Grants to Artists Award
[http://www.foundationforcontemporaryarts.org/grant_recipients/foofwa.html]
*2006 Swiss Prize of Dance and Choreography
*1999 Grantee, Fondation Leenaards, Switzerland
*1995
New York Dance and Performance Award for Exceptional Artistry in the work of Merce Cunningham
*1987 Prix Professionnel at the Prix de Lausanne, Switzerland
*1986 Bronze Medal, International Dance Competition, Jackson, Mississippi
Works
Selected works include:
*2010 ''Au Contraire''
*2008 ''The Making of Spectacles''
*2006 ''Incidences''
*2005 ''Benjamin de Bouillis''
*2003 ''Kilometrix.dancerun.4''
*2003 ''Match.dancerun.6''
*2001 ''Le Show''
*1999 ''Terpsicorp''
*1998 ''Iuj Godog?''
[
]
References
External links
Official web siteFoofwa d'Imobilité and Gérald Zbinden at Fri-Art
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:d'Imobilite, Foofwa
1969 births
Living people
Modern dancers
Contemporary dance choreographers
Swiss male dancers
Dance in New York City
Bessie Award winners