My current collaboration with the Jochen Ulrich Dance Foundation, led by Darie Cardyn (Artistic Director and President of the Foundation), is driven by a shared commitment to care for and activate the choreographic archive of Jochen Ulrich. The Foundation’s mission is to preserve his legacy and set his work in motion — through the reconstruction of his remarkable and still resonant pieces, as well as through the development of new projects that explore archival methodologies in dance.
Alongside Darie, I contribute as a choreographic assistant, researcher, and project developer. Together, we are creating programs focused on the transmission, reconstruction, and creative reimagining of Jochen’s work in dialogue with current generations of dancers, teachers, and choreographers. The project also includes the participation of Lode Devos, professor at the Conservatoire de la danse de Chartres, and Jonatan Salgado Romero, filmmaker and lecturer in media and dance.
The Jochen Ulrich Dance Foundation supports the preservation and promotion of Jochen’s creations in dance, opera, and theatre. It endorses initiatives that make dance more accessible, recognizing its role in artistic expression, social inclusion, and personal development. In line with this mission, we are also involved in the development of Faros Danza Lab & Stage (F.D.L.&S.), a platform for training and exchange aimed at emerging artists.
Having worked directly with Jochen Ulrich as a dancer, I experienced firsthand the depth, rigor, and beauty of his choreographic language. I first met Darie Cardyn during one of the reconstructions of his works in Germany, and it was in that process that I began to fully understand how meaningful the transmission of repertoire can be for younger generations — not only as an artistic and technical practice, but as a way of connecting to his artistic vision.
In our view, what we call “contemporary dance” does not imply a break with the past or a stance in opposition to other forms. Rather than treating past and present as separate, we understand the contemporary as a coexistence of multiple temporalities — a dynamic weave of historical memory, embodied knowledge, and future potential. The body is a living archive: it carries ancestral memory, cultural crossings, and embodied practices from different times and geographies.
Jochen’s legacy continues to live through the many generations of dancers, choreographers, and teachers shaped by his vision — individuals who now lead and influence the field of dance around the world.
As I’ve written elsewhere, my choreographic voice has been shaped by returns — not as acts of repetition, but as re-encounters. Re-turning is a motion that, in dance, evokes spirals, shifts in direction, and circular movements that never arrive at the same place twice — not because the path is unfamiliar, but because the place itself changes with each breath, breathing in different rhythms. It means revisiting a place, a memory, or a body of work with new eyes, attuned to the subtle shifts and transformations that emerge moment by moment. This collaboration with the Jochen Ulrich Dance Foundation is such a return: a generative engagement with Jochen’s repertoire, seen through the urgencies and questions of the present.
We welcome the interest of institutions, companies, and dance festivals that wish to engage with Jochen’s legacy through reconstructions, workshops, and collaborative artistic research. We believe his work offers powerful tools for learning, experimentation, and dialogue — and we look forward to exploring these possibilities across diverse dance contexts.
Andressa Miyazato 