BIOGRAPHY
Karole Armitage
A.R.T.: Death and the Powers: The Robots’ Opera. Artistic Director of the Armitage Gone! Dance Company based in New York, and renowned for pushing the boundaries to create contemporary works that blend dance, music, and art. Armitage has choreographed for major dance companies throughout Europe and the U.S. and has directed opera for leading European houses. She was director of the Florence Ballet (1996–2000), the Venice Biennale of Contemporary Dance (2001), and was resident choreographer for the Ballet de Lorraine (2000–2005). She is known for her collaborations with important contemporary artists, such as Jeff Koons, Brice Marden, filmmaker James Ivory, and pop icons Madonna and Michael Jackson. She has also created choreography for a William Wegman dog and choreographed the Cirque du Soleil production AmaLuna in 2012, directed by Diane Paulus. Armitage received a Tony nomination for her Broadway choreography of Hair (2009), also directed by Diane Paulus, after making her Broadway debut with Passing Strange (2008), also filmed by Spike Lee. She received the French honor Commandeur dans L’ordre des Arts et des Lettres. She danced with Balanchine’s Geneva Ballet (1973–1975) and the Merce Cunningham Dance Company (1976–1981).