From Paramatta to Paris Olympics!
Coming from a versatile commercial background spanning contemporary dance, circus, film and fashion, 28-year-old dancer Matt Antonucci has landed the dream choreographic opportunity – working with the artistic team for the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympics. He sat down with BELLE BEASLEY in Paris to share a little about the once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Sydney-born and raised dancer and choreographer Matt Antonucci is making his mark on the international dance scene, and his latest project has seen him literally going for dance gold. The Paris-based dance artist, whose credits range from working with Cirque de Soleil, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, and on Baz Lurhman’s Elvis, was offered the gig of a lifetime when, earlier this year, he was contacted by the Paris Olympics artistic direction to assist on choreography for the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games.
It was a dream come true. Despite being the only non-French member of the production team comprising over 150 people, from choreographic direction, costume and lighting, dancers and performers, safety and stunt support, Antonucci is taking the challenge in his stride.
“The sheer scale of the production it is crazy to me,” he says. “I’ve never led such a big team before, especially not in a foreign language. It requires a lot of quick thinking, a lot of organising, a lot of relaying back and forth between the different teams – technical, wardrobe, stage management, artistic team, the performers. There will be safety issues, there will prop issues, obstacles with costume or set – you have to constantly be in communication. Plus, managing a large team of elite performers means being aware of their needs during long rehearsal days.”
The wheels for the role were set in motion last year when Antonucci was scouted to dance in a Sidi Larbi Cherkoui creation for Christian Louboutin’s Spring/Summer 2024 Paris Fashion Week show. Antonucci developed a good working relationship with Larbi’s right-hand man, French dancer, choreographer, and artistic director Kevin Vives, who is now head choreographer of the Olympic artistic direction team.
“I’ve known Kevin for many years, but we had never worked together,” explains Antonucci. “But then he reached out about the Paris Fashion Week job with Larbi. That was quite a moment in time for me because I was feeling fed up with work and I had kind of stepped back from dance. And then just as I was ready to give up and leave Paris, this job came up, and I just moved straight back. It was very funny time, and very much saved my love for dance. It was very inspiring.”
Following their work together, Vives reached out to Antonucci to assist on the Games show, which will draw on diverse styles of movement and physical performance. As such, Antonucci’s uniquely versatile skillset made him the perfect person for the job.
“A lot of skills for this role have come from my Cirque experience,” said Antonucci. “As performer as well as coach in Cirque, I worked one-on-one with acrobatic artists, refining or reworking their acts. That skillset of working with acrobats is very different to working with dancers. Less teaching exact steps but shaping movement and finding structure.”
Though Paris is a long way from his roots in Paramatta, Antonucci has never felt more inspired. “Before, I felt like I backed myself into a corner and was asking myself, ‘why am I working so much and it’s not fulfilling?’ But, I feel my circle has started to expand in an industry that offers so many more exciting possibilities, across dance, fashion, art, circus, contemporary movement and commercial. Paris is perfect for that.”
QUICK QUESTIONS
BB: Could you tell us a little about the creative process behind the Olympics closing ceremony performance?
MA: We’re working with a big team of artists from so many different backgrounds, so the possibilities of what we can create together every day are really exciting. It’s like working with a blank canvas and being able to fill it with so many different types of paint. I love, and am equally scared by, that first moment of the blank canvas. The moment where anything is possible.
BB: Is it just you and Kevin working together with the performers or are there other voices in the rehearsal room?
MA: The artistic director Thomas [Jolly] has the vision, he’ll come in with ideas and advice. Thomas works mostly in Opera and loves things on a grand scale, but really also values minimalism. To him, less is more, it’s just about finding the right image. Sometimes the power of 100 people standing still together is all you need.
BB: What will the performance convey to Olympic Games audiences around the world?
MA: The strongest thing for me is this real sense of unity and humanity. The performance explores how humans exist together on this earth, as well as the journey from the past to the future and how this can shift in relation to how we come together.
BB: What advice can you give to young dancers with big Olympic-size dreams?
MA: Go to where your skills are best seen and best used, that’s where you’re going to thrive. Everyone wants something different, so go for opportunities that feel right and will help you climb in the direction you actually want to go. Knowing that each job is accumulating skills and learning from those things, as well as reflecting on where it’s leading you. I think that’s important.
BB: Totally. And on that note, where will we see you next? Is there anything you can share with us?
MA: (Laughs) Hmm . . . TBC. There’s stuff in the works, so watch this space. First thing will be to have some rest and reflection time, some time to be proud of myself, and then after, I’m shifting more into a choreographic space and I’m excited to keep following that path.
BB: Thanks Matt. Bonne chance for the Games!