Jacques Heim (choreographer)

Jacques Heim is a French-born dance choreographer who founded Diavolo Dance Theater in 1992 after graduating from California Institute of the Arts. He was born and raised in Paris, France. As a young man, Heim moved to New York City, and shortly thereafter received his BFA in Theater, Dance, and Film at Middlebury College in Vermont. He then moved to England and received his Certificate for Analysis and Criticism of Dance from University of Surrey. After his stay in England he came back to America, only this time to California, where he would receive his MFA in Choreography from the California Institute of the Arts.

Diavolo | Architecture in Motion

In 1992, Jacques Heim founded Diavolo | Architecture in Motion, a dance company based in Los Angeles, California. It blends modern dance, acrobatics, and gymnastics, creating a unique fusion that the dancers perform for audiences around the world. Diavolo is one of the most successful dance companies based in Los Angeles, partially because of its accessibility amongst a variety of audiences. Heim describes the work of his company, saying, "What we do is very visceral, very organic and very visual. An audience who's not used to going to see dance or theater can identify with it."^[1] Along with the unique movement style, what makes Diavolo different is the addition of a variety of structures that the dancers dance on and interact with. The human-to-human interaction as well as the interaction between the dancers and the structures, creates a struggle that Heim sees as a metaphor for "the absurdity of everyday life."^[2][3]

Choreography

Heim not only choreographs a number of short and full-length works for Diavolo, but he also works as a choreographer for other companies and events. One of his most notable choreographic achievements occurred when he was invited by Cirque du Soleil to choreograph the show, Kà, which premiered in 2005 at the MGM Grand Las Vegas hotel. According to Heim, the choreographic process of Kà was very similar to that of Diavolo, since like Diavolo, Kà involves a great deal of dancing on large moving structures. Speaking of the Diavolo and Cirque processes, Heim said, "I work with acrobats and different types of movers and dancers. We don't do circus but we do deal very much with structures and architectural environments. I'm not used to Cirque, but I am used to this kind of process."^[4]

In 2005, Heim was also the Artistic Director for the Taurus World Stunt Awards,^[5] and in 2007 he returned to Taurus to stage a stunt piece called "The Car". He was the Creative Director for the Opening Ceremony of The 16th Asian Games, in Guangzhou, China ^[5] His work has made appearances on the television shows Dancing with the Stars^[6] and Step It Up and Dance,^[7] as well as on the theatrical stage, as he created choreography for the play, The Stones.^[5]

Jacques has also taught dance at Ballet Pacifica, California State University, Los Angeles and the University of California, Los Angeles.^[8]

Awards and press

Heim has received three USA Fellowship nominations and four Alpert Awards in the Arts nominations.^[5] He received the Martha Hill Choreography Award of the American Dance Festival,^[5] as well as the Special Prize of the Jury at the 6th Saitama International Dance Festival.^[5] Heim also was awarded a Brody Arts Fund fellowship, and a James Irvine Foundation Fellowship.^[5]

Family history

Heim's grandfather, also named Jacques Heim, was a Parisian fashion designer who invented the bikini alongside Louis Réard.^[9]

References