Research: The heritage of Jérôme Andrews in the context of the Jeune Danse Française
Curriculum: Studies on Theatre, Performing Arts, Film and Digital Performance
The research project aims to investigate the figure of Jérôme Andrews, an American dancer and choreographer born in the early twentieth century and active in Paris since 1956, who trained some of the greatest choreographers and dancers of the Jeune Danse Française until 1992, the year of his death. In particular, the research is based on a theoretical methodological approach focusing on the influences of Andrews' teachings on his students, who achieved an interdisciplinary dimension between dance and music. The research hypotesis intends to explore how these precursors of the Nouvelle Danse Française considered musical analysis and work on rhythm as ideas for their choreografic compositions and foundations of their methodologies. By investigating their educational purposes and creative processes, the research project also aims to highlight Jérôme Andrews' merit for having initiated a generation of choreographers who boasts original methods and common goals. Another crucial point of the research, which allows to focus on Italy as well, is highlighted by the meeting between Andrews and Traut Streiff Faggioni, which took place in the 1970s. This circumstance gave rise to a fruitful exchange of pedagogical ideas and collaborations, which lasted about twenty years and took place in Florence in the Studio Faggioni.