Mark Tompkins

Mark N. Tompkins (born 1954) is a French artist, dancer and choreographer of contemporary dance.

Biography

Trained at the Theatre of Movement and Gesture, Tompkins moved to France in 1973, and discovered dance with Hideyuki Yano and Elsa Wolliaston. In 1975, he made his first solos in some abandoned locations and worked with Steve Paxton.

In 1983 he founded the company IDA (International Associated Dreams) and won the Bagnolet contest the following year. In 2008, Mark Tompkins received the SEC SACD (Society of Dramatic Authors and Composers) prize for choreography for all his work.

Choreography

Mark Tompkins' interest in improvisation and real-time composition leads him to collaborate through teaching and performing with many dancers, musicians, light designers and video makers.

Some of Mark Tompkins's most notable performances are:

1976 : Naked Traces 1978 : Each One's Own 1981 : Sweet Dreems 1983 : Empty Holes 1985 – 1987 : Betrayal 1988 : Nouvelles for the Avignon Festival, based on the novel IDA by Gertrude Stein 1992 : Witness, Hommage à Harry Sheppard 1996 : Gravity 1996 : Under My Skin, Hommage à Josephine Baker 1998 : Tributes to Montrose Capital 2000 : RemiXamor 2005 : Animal Male 2007 : Animal Female 2011 : Black'N'Blues Canaccord

In 2014, Mark Tompkins and Jeremy Wade performed their collaboratively developed play Stardust in underground theater of the Abrons Arts Center as part of the 2014 Queer New York International Arts Festival.