Dimitri Chamblas’ work examines the body and its representation in various concrete or imaginary contexts. His choreographic work springs from his perception of his immediate environment. One of his underlying goals is to invent new dance forms and their transmissions.
His work has been performed in venues such as Tate Modern (London), Centre Pompidou (Paris), Museum of Contemporary Art (Los Angeles), Opéra national de Paris, and St. Mark’s church (New York), among others.
Captivated by dance, Chamblas joined The Paris Opera’s celebrated dance school at age 10. During his career, he notably collaborated with various creators such as Jean Paul Gaultier and Karl Lagarfeld; composer Heiner Goebbels; artists Chrisitian Boltanski, Andy Goldsworthy, Dan Colen, and Xavier Veilhan; and choreographers William Forsythe, Boris Charmatz, Lil Buck, Mathilde Monnier, and Benjamin Millepied.
In 1992, Chamblas co-founded of EDNA with choreographer Boris Charmatz. Together, they conceived performances, organized events and exhibitions, and published books. Their duet A bras le Corps has been performed on every continent in world-renowned theaters and festivals. This duet became part of Paris Opera Ballet repertory since 2017.
In 1996, Chamblas created a research and writing residence with Mathilde Monnier, then director of Centre Chorégraphique National in Montpellier, France. The residency allowed artists to create personal creative space outside of the traditional production process. Three years later, Chamblas founded Same Productions, which invents and produces advertising campaigns for luxury and fashion brands, music videos, and art films, with offices in Paris, Brussels, and Los Angeles.
Chamblas frequently works as artistic director and choreographer for brands such as Chanel, Dom Perignon, Longchamps, and Nike, among others.
In 2013, Chamblas served as artistic director and digital curator of Mutant Stage alongside curator and producer Amélie Couillaud, The series of 10 art films for Lafayette Anticipations - Fondation d’entreprise Galeries Lafayette, all shot in a building designed by OMA / Rem Koolhaas.
In 2014, Chamblas was appointed artistic director of the Paris Opera’s 3rd Stage. In collaboration with Benjamin Millepied, he founded the creative digital platform for which he invites artists including Glen Keane, Xavier Veilhan, Bret Easton Ellis, Julien Prévieux, William Forsythe, Rubber Legz, United Visual Artists, Lil Buck, Barbara Hanigan, and Jonas Kaufmann to create original artworks inspired by Paris Opera.
Always curious about technological advances and their possible applications, in 2015 Chamblas created—through a partnership with Google Cultural Institute—the first immersive dance film captured in 360 degrees, based on an original dance piece choreographed by Millepied.
In 2017, he launched Studio Dimitri Chamblas in Paris and Los Angeles, a structure that hosts all of his projects and collaborations, including a duet with étoile dancer Marie-Agnès Gillot, participation in the creation of Boris Charmatz’s 10000 Gestures, a creation with architect François Perrin for the Performa Biennale in New York, and a duet with artist and musician Kim Gordon. The same year, he was appointed dean of The Sharon Disney Lund School of Dance at CalArts in Los Angeles, and created HHUMANN, a work with 75 dancers presented in the streets of downtown Los Angeles and at Hauser & Wirth Gallery.
In 2018-19, Chamblas created Slow Show, a piece choreographed for 50 performers, as well as Los Angeles, a solo done in collaboration with painter Claire Tabouret and dancer Spenser Therberge. They were performed in Los Angeles at the Museum of Contemporary Art, REDCAT, MAK Center for Arts and Architecture at the Schindler house, in France at Luma foundation in Arles, Lafayette Anticipation in Paris, MC93 in Bobigny France, and in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
As part of the LA Philharmonic program, Chamblas directed Crowd out, a 1,000-singer opera by David Lang in June 2019. The monumental opera took place at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. The same year, Chamblas was made a Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French Ministry of Culture.
In 2020, Chamblas started a new work within the Los Angeles State Prison in Lancaster California. It is the first time in the US history that contemporary dance enters in a maximum security male prison. Ten inmates incarcerated for 30 years to life are part of the piece. Several reviews were written and a film (A Yard) was shot taking this initiative as the subject.
Chamblas is currently working with United Nation High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to build a worldwide dance practice program that will take place in various refugee camps around the globe.
