Jury
Young companies
Our jury for the Young Companies Competition evening is composed of
Suzanne MEYER, Edouard HUE, Julie MAGNEVILLE and Mathieu GEFFRÉ.
Julie Magneville is a director/filmmaker and choreographer known for creating powerful and evocative works that fuse contemporary dance and physical theater combined with a strong cinematic vision. After graduating from ESDC Rosella Hightower, CNRD Lyon in the Contemporary section as well as The Ailey School, she further enriched her knowledge of contemporary dance by participating in workshops with top-notch choreographers such as Wim Vandekeybus, Ohad Naharin, Shiro Daimon, David Hayo and Akram Khan. During her dance career, she has performed works for numerous companies and choreographers around the world: Gregory Dolbashian, Crystal Pite, Victor Quijadas, Margie Gillis, O Vertigo, Théâtre du Corps, Donald MacKayle, Larrio Ekson, Guillaume Bordier, Bruno Agati, Mickaël Marso Rivière. She starred in the world-famous musical "Tarzan," choreographed by Sergio Trujillo and composed by Phil Collins.
Her first short film "IN MEMORIUM" was awarded "Best Audience Choice" at the Sans Souci Festival of Cinema-Dance, "Best Dance Choreography" at the Oniros Film Awards." She was nominated for Best Choreographer for Mia Michaels Live with "Décadene." She created the show for the world tour of the famous and unique pop-alternative singer SEVDALIZA, "The Great Hope Design," "ADE Performance" in Amsterdam with RedbullMusic, and the livestream concert "Colors of the Night." She choreographed "The Opening Ceremony of the African Games" in Rabat with 250 performers on stage. She staged the "FrenchDeal" fashion show for PARIS FASHION WEEK. She created dance pieces for Steps On Broadway and Peridance Center (NYC). She directed and created "The Frame" for the Gala des Étoiles with soloist Vincent Chaillet of the Paris Opera.
Edouard Hue is a choreographer renowned for his "sensitive virtuosity," an approach that combines physical power, fluidity, and palpable emotion. A dancer alongside figures such as Hofesh Shechter, Damien Jalet, and Olivier Dubois, he received the Swiss Dance Prize in 2019 as "Exceptional Dancer."
Founder of the Beaver Dam Company in 2014, he has developed a unique choreographic language, exploring freedom and pleasure through movement. His works, including All I Need, Dive, and Yumé, have been presented internationally. He also collaborates with prestigious institutions such as Ballet Basel, the Gauthier Dance Company, and the Bayerisches Staatsballet.
Suzanne Meyer is a French dancer and choreographer.
Trained at the Paris Opera Ballet School and the CNSMDP, Christine Gérard, Florence Vitrac, and Sylvain Prudenec marked her education. She moved from classical to contemporary dance, and upon leaving school, she became a soloist at the Crazy Horse Paris under the direction of Philippe Decouflé. Pursuing her curiosity, she left this institution and worked as a freelance artist in various sectors, including events, advertising, and musicals.
She performs in a much more contemporary register under the direction of Robert Carsen and Nicolas Paul at the Opéra Comique and in Vienna.
She is one of the performers of the collective "le Balcon" which is reviving the "Licht" cycle of Stockhausen's Operas and is performing in this context at the Opéra Comique, the Philharmonie, and the Southbank Centre in London.
She participated in Beyoncé's music video "Standing on the sun".
What characterizes Suzanne's career is eclecticism and the desire to bring together different worlds.
She worked as a choreographer for advertising, working for the director duo Maria and Ben, and then choreographed the opening ceremony of the Molières on three occasions.
Along the way, she felt the need to make her dance a more unique language and developed choreographic projects based on the technique of contact dance, after meeting Itay Yatuv, (Israeli dancer and teacher) who had a very strong influence on her path.
Alongside him, she trained in parent-child contact dance for very young children, and brought Contakids to existence in France.
In recent years, she has been called upon to work in cinema, having designed several dance sequences for Pierre Niney and Isabelle Adjani in Nicolas Bedos' latest film, "Mascarade." She also created all the dance sequences for a 1920s cabaret for Louise Bourgoin in Guillaume Bureau's first feature film, "C'est mon homme."
She recently collaborated again with Pierre Niney, with whom she shared a choreographic duet written for a Dior Beauty film. Nicolas Bedos renewed his trust in her by giving her the keys to the choreography of his next series for Amazon Prime, "Alphonse".
At the end of 2022, the Sézane brand gave her carte blanche to write and choreograph a film featuring palpation for breast cancer prevention. This is her first film.
Since then, she has continued to collaborate with this brand regularly.
In 2023, we will find her choreographing and performing a new duet at the Chaillot theater next September as part of the “on danse chez vous” edition led by Mehdi Kerkouche, and in the gardens of the Orangerie du Sénat, a project led by Emmanuelle Delanoë, who had the audacity to bring together several artistic worlds.
She participated in the documentary “Danse demain”, directed by Dounia Zellou.
She works every day to bring dance everywhere, even to areas that are resistant to movement. She also advocates for more shared experiences with non-dancers. This project will be at the heart of her work in the months and years to come.
In 2024, the events sector (Chanel, Hermès, Boghossian) called on his work to choreograph shows.
The program for the coming months will be devoted to free creation. An excerpt from the piece "Sous les paupières" (Under the Eyelids), for two performers, is scheduled for March at the Théâtre du Chatelet as part of the Women Choreographers Festival.
A graduate of the CNSM in Paris in 2006, Mathieu Geffré forged his choreographic identity through his career as a dancer performing for various European companies (Dansgroep Amsterdam, Noord Nederlandse Dans and National Dance Company Wales).
He then collaborated with some of the biggest names in contemporary dance:
Itzik Galili, Angelin Preljocaj, Didy Veldman, Theo Clinkard, Alexander Ekman etc... In parallel with his career as a performer, he develops his work as a choreographer and teacher.
His choreographies have been presented at numerous European and international events. In 2016, he won Third Prize at the Copenhagen International Choreographic Competition.
Mathieu retired from the stage in 2019 to focus on developing his creative work. In addition to creating as a guest choreographer for companies such as Nationaltheatre Mannheim, Boston Dance Theatre, and CobosMika, he established his own dance company, Rendez-Vous, in Newcastle.
With Rendez-Vous Dance, Mathieu has received numerous accolades from the press and public. He notably received an OFFIE Award, as well as the Best Choreographer and Best Production of the Year 2023 for his duet What Songs May Do... In 2024, his second show Le Monocle was nominated in the Best Show of the Year category at the North East Culture Awards.
Mathieu is also a renowned professor who regularly speaks at
companies of Wayne McGregor, Venice Biennale, Matthew Bourne and Northern School of Contemporary Dance.