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Clara recently sat down with Eric Gauthier at the Joyce Theater when his company, Gauthier Dance, presented the New York premiere of NIJINSKI. We got through many topics in a short time in this interview, covering Eric’s early inspiration to pursue dance (thanks to the musical Cats!), the process that allowed him to establish Gauthier Dance and grow the company relatively rapidly under the auspices of Theaterhaus Stuttgart, and his overall mission to connect with new and expanded dance audiences by presenting the “sunny side of modern dance.” He explained how Gauthier Dance is like a clown, on one side humor and on the other side a foundation of tragedy. Based on what we’ve seen of the company, we certainly agree and couldn’t recommend them more strongly.

Gauthier Dance, also sometimes known as Dance Company Theaterhaus Stuttgart, is a dynamic company of sixteen highly versatile dancers, directed by the dancer, choreographer and musician Eric Gauthier. The company, started in 2007, now presents contemporary dance by Gauthier as well as by internationally renowned choreographers such as Mauro Bigonzetti, William Forsythe, Paul Lightfoot/Sol León and many more.

Eric Gauthier was born in Montréal, Canada. He received ballet training at the school of Les Grands Ballets Canadiens and subsequently at the National Ballet School in Toronto. In 1995 he became an apprentice with the National Ballet of Canada under the artistic direction of Reid Anderson. When Reid Anderson was appointed Director of the Stuttgart Ballet in 1996, he invited Eric to come to Stuttgart as a member of the company. For ten years, Eric danced in almost every world or company premiere and inspired an impressive list of choreographers to create roles for him. In 2005, he made his debut as a choreographer in the prestigious “Young Choreographers” programme of the Stuttgart-based Noverre Society. In 2007, after several more choreographic successes, he left the Stuttgart Ballet and became Artistic Director of Gauthier Dance//Dance Company Theaterhaus Stuttgart.