Pettit*Rochet

PRIX SUISSE DES ARTS DE LA SCÈNE - 2024

Office fédéral de la culture

PRIX DE L'ÉVEIL - 2007

CORINNE ROCHET and NICHOLAS PETTIT, artistic directors and choreographers, founded MARCHEPIED in 2001 to address the lack of contemporary dance training in Switzerland. In 2020, the organization offered a professional immersion space and supported young performers in establishing themselves sustainably within the contemporary dance profession.

Always committed to the development and integration of young generations of dancers, Corinne Rochet and Nicholas Pettit were invited to participate in the commissions for the establishment of the vocational diploma - dancer-interpreter in Geneva, as well as the Bachelor’s programs in contemporary dance at the Manufacture in Lausanne and ZHdK in Zurich. They have been part of the committees of the Vaud Association for Contemporary Dance and the Association for the Requalification of Professional Dancers. Their engagement as choreographers, educators, or in policy provides them with a comprehensive understanding of the professional demands of the contemporary dance field.

In parallel, Corinne Rochet and Nicholas Pettit are developing their own project. Through their pieces, they create a world that is both graphic and poetic. Since 2020, Corinne ROCHET and Nicholas PETTIT have focused their research on the material "water" as a constitutive, interpretive, and creative inducer. Firstly, they explore the material, making it a substance that becomes a medium. They turn this material into a physical, kinesthetic experience that triggers sensations, emotions, and affects. At the root of this approach is a personal exploration: an experience as a performer and choreographer, seeking a specific dance experience and moments of grace. Their choreography develops in a flow: between fluidity and density of gestures, between grounding and overflow. Their pieces are designed as play spaces, inviting the audience to enter, allowing them the freedom to seek their own meaning and satisfy their need for abstraction. Their works have been presented in various countries, including Switzerland, France, England, Russia, Italy, Ireland, Romania, and Portugal. In 2006, they created FIZZ, a duo with which they won the EUROPEAN CHOREOGRAPHY COMPETITION AEROWAWES. www.pettit-rochet.ch

Corinne Rochet obtained her State Diploma in teaching contemporary dance in 1995. She has performed for numerous choreographers such as Dominique Bagouet, Michel Kéléminis, Philippe Saire (as a dancer/assistant), Guilherme Botelho, Fabienne Berger, and Da Motus. She is frequently invited to teach for various professional companies such as Cie Philippe Saire, Cie Alias, Cie Linga, Bern:Ballet, as well as for professional training programs (coline, Junior Ballet of Geneva, Epsedanse) and in schools.

Nicholas Pettit holds a Bachelor’s degree in contemporary dance. He trained at the Laban Center in London and has worked with Claude Brumachon, Daniel Larrieu, Jean Gaudin, Stéphanie Aubin, William Petit, Philippe Saire (as a dancer/assistant), as well as with various directors like Pascal Francfort (as a dancer/actor), Christian Egger, and Jean Winiger (as a choreographer/dancer). Nicholas Pettit is regularly invited to teach for various professional companies such as Cie Philippe Saire, Bern:Ballet, Cie Alias, the Theatre School of Martigny, and for professional training programs (coline, Junior Ballet of Geneva, Cie Transition) or in schools.