Dimitri Chamblas

Captivated by dance, Dimitri Chamblas joined The Paris Opera’s celebrated dance school at age ten. During his career, he notably collaborated with creators such as Jean-Paul Gaultier and Karl Lagarfeld, composer Heiner Goebbels, artists Chrisitian Boltanski, Andy Goldsworthy, Dan Colen, Xavier Veilhan, choreographers William Forsythe, Boris Charmatz, Lil Buck, Mathilde Monnier, Benjamin Millepied. His work has been performed in venues such as Tate Modern (London), Centre Pompidou (Paris), Geffen Contemporary - Moca (Los Angeles), Paris national Opera, St Mark’s church (New York), among others.

In 1992, Chamblas is co-founder of EDNA with choreographer Boris Charmatz. Together they conceive performances, organize events and exhibitions, publish books. Their duet “A bras le Corps” has been performed on every continents in world-renowned theaters and festivals. This duet is part of Paris national Opera ballet repertory since 2017.

In 1996, he creates with Mathilde Monnier (at that time Director of the Centre chorégraphique national in Montpellier, France) the "research and writing residence”, an occasion for artists to create personal creative space outside of the traditional production process.

In 2013, as digital curator, he invents “Mutant Stage” together with curator and producer Amélie Couillaud: a series of 10 art films for the french Lafayette Anticipations – Fondation d’entreprise Galeries Lafayette, all shot in the building designed by OMA / Rem Koolhaas.

In 2014 Dimitri Chamblas is appointed artistic director of the Paris Opera’s 3rd Stage. In collaboration with Benjamin Millepied, he founds this creative digital platform for which he invites artists such as Glen Keane, Xavier Veilhan, Bret Easton Ellis, Julien Prévieux, William Forsythe, Rubber Legz, United Visual Artists, Lil Buck, Barbara Hanigan, Jonas Kaufmann… to create original artworks inspired by Paris Opera. Always curious about technological advances and their possible applications, he creates in 2015, through a partnership with Google cultural institute, the first immersive dance film captured in 360-degree, based on an original dance piece choreographed by Benjamin Millepied.

In 2017 he launches Studio Dimitri Chamblas in Paris and Los Angeles, a structure that hosts all of his projects and collaborations, including a duet with the étoile dancer Marie-Agnès Gillot, his participation in the creation of Boris Charmatz « 10 000 Gestures », a creation with architect François Perrin for the Performa Biennale in New York, or a duet with artist and musician Kim Gordon.

This same year, he becomes the new dean of dance at California Institute for the Art (CalArts) in Los Angeles and creates HHUMANN, a 75 dancers work presented in the streets of Down Town Los Angeles and at Hauser&Wirth Gallery. In June 2019, as part of the LA Phil program, Chamblas directs “ Crowd out”, a 1 000 singers opera by David Lang presented at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles.

In 2019 he was made a Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French Ministry of Culture.