Choreographer Cindy Van Acker has received this year's Swiss Grand Prix for Performing Arts, also known as the Hans Reinhart Ring. The prestigious award is endowed with CHF100,000 ($114,000).
The award honours Van Acker's interdisciplinary work and her multifaceted commitment to the Swiss cultural scene, the Federal Office of Culture announced on Thursday. Van Acker is among the most outstanding choreographers in Switzerland and has gained success internationally both in the established theatre scene and the independent dance scene.
Van Acker was born in 1971 in Belgium. She joined the Ballet du Grand Théâtre in Geneva as a dancer in 1991. According to the culture office, her international breakthrough came in 2005 at the Venice Biennale, when she was invited by Romeo Castellucci to present her solo performance, Corps 00:00.
Since then, she has worked regularly with Castellucci, especially in opera productions such as Don Giovanni at the 2021 Salzburg Festival. The signature of the subtle choreographer is evident in the meticulous, almost scientific elaboration of her creations, in which body, music and space interact.
The awards ceremony for the Grand Prix and other Swiss performing arts prizes will take place on October 6 as part of the Festival Internazionale del Teatro in Lugano. The culture minister Alain Berset, who currently holds the rotating Swiss presidency, will attend the event.