This is Unreal

Concept, Direction, and Choreography: Pierre Godard and Liz Santoro
Music: Pierre-Yves Macé (with works by Frédéric Chopin, Claude Debussy, Robert Schumann)
Performer: Liz Santoro
Lighting and Space Design: Mélanie Rattier
Generative AI:  Léo Chédin
Costumes: Rezvan Farsijani

Country: France/ SUA

Biography

Pierre Godard is a French artist and performance maker with a PhD in Artificial Intelligence from Paris-Saclay University. With a background in applied mathematics and linguistic engineering, his research has focused on unsupervised word discovery and computational language documentation, particularly in low-resource languages. Beyond his academic pursuits, Godard is a prominent figure in the performing arts creating works with choreographer Liz Santoro that explore the intersection of dance, technology, and AI, pushing the boundaries of contemporary performance art. Their pieces have been showcased internationally, and Godard’s innovative approach continues to influence both the fields of AI and the arts.

Liz Santoro is an American choreographer and dancer with a background in neuroscience from Harvard University and professional training from the Boston Ballet School. Over her career, she has become known for her innovative works that blend movement with generative composition and technology. In collaboration with Pierre Godard, Santoro has created numerous acclaimed pieces that explore the intersection of dance and cognitive processes, presented extensively in Europe, North America and Asia. In addition to her choreographic works, Santoro’s artistic practice encompasses extensive pedagogical engagement through her curation, teaching, outreach, and mentoring work.

Mélanie Rattier first worked alongside lighting artist Georges Berne on large-scale architectural lighting projects (Philharmonie de Paris, Musée du Quai Branly, Centre Pompidou-Metz…). After graduating from the École d’architecture de la ville et des territoires (Marne-la-Vallée), she joined major Parisian architectural firms such as Atelier Jean Nouvel. For the past ten years, she has been developing her artistic work on the design of scenic space within the company Le principe d’incertitude. Léo Chédin works at the intersection between dance and digital art. He is a PhD student at LISN, University of Paris-Saclay. He holds a diploma from ENS Paris-Saclay, a diploma in research-creation from Scène de recherche and a master’s degree in music technologies from IRCAM. Léo works on creating pieces and installations that combine dance and technology.

Pierre-Yves Macé (composer) combines electroacoustic music with instrumental writing. He has released CDs on the Tzadik, Sub Rosa and Brocoli labels, and regularly collaborates with stage directors and choreographers. His music was the subject of a Portrait for the 2023 edition of the Festival d’Automne à Paris. He is a resident at the Académie de France in Rome (Villa Médicis) in 2024-2025.

The presentation is the result of the MODINA residency. The Movement, Digital Intelligence and Interactive Audience (MODINA) project aims to expand the creative possibilities of contemporary dance performances and enhance the audience experience with digital technology – with a focus on exploring artificial intelligence (AI) and audience interaction, on-site and online. The project partners are 3 academic institutions and 5 dance centers from 6 countries.

The MODINA project is co-funded by the European Union through the Creative Europe program. The views and opinions expressed are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor the funding authority can be held responsible for them.

More info about MODINA HERE.

With the support of: Atelier de Paris / CDCN, Centre National de la Danse (Paris), La Ménagerie de Verre, ENS Paris-Saclay, Collectif pour la Culture en Essonne, Université Paris-Saclay, University of the Arts London, DRAC Île-de-France, Ville de Paris, Région Île-de-France.

Supported by
Ministerul Culturii, Aerowaves, Moving Balkans, MODINA, Creative Europe, Teatrul Național București, Les Films de Cannes à Bucarest, Cinema Union, Cărturești

Media Partners
Scena9, Zile și Nopți, Adevărul, Agerpress, Elle, Happ.ro, Liternet, TVR Cultural, Radio România Cultural, Revista Arta, The Institute, Zeppelin, ISCOADA, Revista Golan, Feeder, Visit Bucharest, Ziarul Metropolis, IQads, Ceașca de Cultură, Modernism.ro, Daily Magazine, Munteanu Recomandă.