József Trefeli is Australian born of Hungarian origins. He graduated from the University of Melbourne VCA with a Bachelor of Arts in Dance. József worked for three years in Australia before joining Alias Dance Company in 1996 in Geneva. In his eight years with Alias he created roles that challenged and charmed critics and audiences worldwide. On 6 continents, more than 40 countries, József has achieved critical acclaim for his many and varied dance performances and numerous choreographic works. The diverse range of styles in which József choreographs include contemporary dance, cabaret, theatre, musical comedy, and opera. József has proven his ability to create solo work as easily as directing and choreographing casts of up to 50. József Trefeli has also danced for the companies Skree Wolf, Greffe, Drift, Utilité Publique, Philippe Saire, and Da Motus, and has acted in two plays with the Company Korpüs Animüs.

The József Trefeli Company was founded in 2005 for a commission to choreograph for the Association for Contemporary Dance (ADC) in Geneva. His creations have toured in Australia, Central America, Africa, Europe and Switzerland. At the same time as these creations for his own company, József Trefeli creates two choreographies for the 25 dancers of Geneva’s Ballet Junior entitled Safety In Numbers, Beach Ball & Body, and Gender Bounce in 2014. In August 2013 József solo tap performance in the award winning show La Clique, in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. In January 2013 József collaborates with Fatna Djahra and the Theatre L’Articule to create a multidisciplinary project combining marionette and dance Jeux sur l’échelle du monde.

In December 2011 József choreographs La Grande Duchess de Gérolstein Opera by Jacques Offenbach, directed by Omar Porras, for the Opéra de Lausanne. In 2010, the Cap Loisirs Foundation celebrated the 30-year anniversary of its activity in Geneva with the production Stop ! I need a change !, a project lead by József Trefeli as artistic advisor. In 2013, József creates a choreography for Vadrozsa Ensemble Budapest crossing traditional Hungarian dance and Contemporary dance entitled New Roads. József also choreographs OperAdôn by Robert Clerc, Tous les chemins mènent à Meyrin 2012 and La Divergence des Trajectoires 2013, directed by Valentine Sergo and four creations of the Théâtre Spirale, Louves 2009, La Ronde 2010, Remonter la pente 2011 and Je suis un Saumon 2015.
József teaches classes and workshops on tour with JINX 103, UP and CREATURE to amateurs, professional dancers, and dance companies.

What inspires you?

Besides my friends and my family, I guess the desire to communicate. The desire to define dance as a language that can communicate to people all around the world. You remove the words and gain the ability to communicate on another level.

What would you say makes your choreography different?

My focus at the moment is trying to go back to the origins of movement and dance. Back to an archaic time. Where does it all come from and why has it evolved in the way it has evolved? I focus on asking bigger questions… in an archaic form.

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A few words about creating movement

Choosing a clear movement vocabulary first is important to me in any creation; to really narrow it down. Dance is such a vast world to work in. My background includes tap, folk dance, classical and contemporary dance. It is so broad, that I need to reduce it down to a clear movement vocabulary before I begin the process. Then I can actually hone in on what I am looking for.

The most difficult thing about contemporary dance?

Convincing people to take a risk. Many contemporary choreographers are always trying to go in new directions, constantly reinventing themselves, which is what makes it contemporary, that constant evolution. Contemporary dance has a fantastic ability to surprise us and go anywhere. The rules are so broad. You never know what you are going to get when you venture into a theater to see contemporary dance. Convincing audience members and presenters to take that risk and venture into the unknown is difficult.

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Something you like to do other than choreograph?

I am very much into making things with my hands. Cooking, gardening… I am a very hands on kind of person. I like to get in there and do the work. Other than that I am quite a film buff. So whenever I get a night off, I like to go and enjoy some cinema.

People who have influenced your work?

I used to see more influences in my earlier works. I have been encouraged and pushed to really focus on my own world and my own inspiration. I think thats what makes an artist strong, when they actually strive to find there own voice. Having said that, the people I co-create with are my biggest inspirations at the moment.

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Tell me about the piece you are currently presenting at HIVER DE DANSES in Neûchatel?

Creature, is my second co-creation with Gabor Varga following “JINX 103” which we presented two years ago at this festival. So it is nice to be back and present the audience a new chapter from these two choreographers. We are going in a completely new direction, but still starting with the same roots of focusing on the origins of dance and traditional dance. Creature is the creation of a ritual or ceremony where these two beings(dancers) have to go through a certain number of tasks to prepare to celebrate or to mourn, the passing of time or of the seasons. Gabor and I chose to work in a language that is abstract and therefore somewhat absurd. Where the information seems very clear and logical with the passing from one section to the next. Kind of like a tea ceremony, where there is no doubt in what moves have to be made to get from the beginning to the end. The exciting thing is for the audience to experience the range of emotions available to them on this roller coaster that travels from continent to continent and enjoy all that this contemporary ritual has to offer.

It will be exciting to perform Creature at this festival because we have an unusual arrangement with the seating surrounding the performers instead of having a frontal seating arrangement it creates more of a community atmosphere and allows for a maximum number of audience member to have a front row seat. Thus their presence is an essential part of what is going on.

 

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For more information about  Jozsef and his work, please visit his website at: www.jozseftrefeli.org.  His work, Creature, will be performed at the HIVER DE DANSES in Neûchatel. For more information please visit: www.adn-scene-ouverte.ch


All photos by Gregory Batardon