Raphaël Cottin

After graduating from the Conservatoire national supérieur de danse in Paris, Raphaël Cottin danced for Stéphanie Aubin, Christine Gérard, Odile Duboc, and Daniel Dobbels. In 2008, he joined the company directed by Thomas Lebrun—who became director of the Centre choréographique national in Tours in 2012—with whom he danced in France and abroad. A certified trainer, he teaches Wilfride Piollet's technique, Flexible Barres, which focuses on training and on the autonomy of the dancer's work. With his company La Poétique des Signes, he created seven shows as a choreographer between 2008 and 2015, including Les 7 premiers jours (The first 7 days), a quartet for which he worked with dancer Lola Keraly, flutist Cédric Jullion, and actress Sophie Lenoir, or Buffet à vif, co-written with Pierre Meunier and Marguerite Bordat for the Sujets à Vif of the Festival d'Avignon in 2014. The recording of movement using Labanotation is at the heart of his practice and inspired his new show for younger audiences, It's a legend. In 2018, he will be joined onstage by ballet dancer Jean Guizerix for his newest creation, Parallèles.  

Portrait of Raphaël Cottin © portrait Isabelle Levy Lehmann