José Navas


José Navas is a contemporary choreographer and dancer born in Venezuela in 1965, and based in Montreal, Quebec.

Biography

José Navas began his training at the Taller de Danza in Caracas before moving to New York and studying at the Merce Cunningham Studio. There, he collaborated with Stephen Petronio, Michael Clark, Lucinda Childs and various other independent choreographers. In 1991 he moved to Canada and began to choreograph. He founded Compagnie Flak in 1995.
José Navas was first known for his talents as a soloist on the European and North American stages. He quickly established himself as a choreographer proposing bold and unusual works. In 1998, he established his reputation in Canada with One Night Only 3/3, a daring and provocative trio. Crowned "Best young foreign choreographer" by the German magazine Ballet Tanz Aktuell International in 1999, he appeared the following year among the "100 people who move Quebec" in the French magazine L'Express.
José Navas is the recipient of several awards. Among others, he shares a Bessie Award with choreographer William Douglas for the solo While Waiting and won the award for "Best Choreography for the Camera" at the Moving Picture Festival in Toronto for the celebrated art film Lodela, directed by Philippe Baylaucq.
In 2009, he had already created over thirty works for the stage and screen and his company had toured in over 20 countries. Since 2004, he has focused his artistic research on the essence and purity of movement. Abstraction, simplicity, intensity and depth are the words that best describe his current work.

Choreographies