"It is only on stage that I can express certain things.
What I am looking for, what I am feeling, what it represents to me,
I believe there is nothing that can describe it." Pina Bausch

Guidance and career transition

“Artistic work is conceived as the model for work that is not alienating
and through which the subject reaches fruition in the fullness of his freedom
by expressing the forces that make up the essence of his humanity.” Pierre-Michel Menger

Professional dancers have neither a trainer, nor do they have a manager.
They alone are in charge of their careers.

“The professional regime is one where you work to earn your keep,
whereas the vocational regime is one where you earn money
in order to be able to freely exercise your need to create.” Nathalie Heinich

On average, a dancer’s performance career lasts 15 years.

Dance is a profession that requires demanding training and a vocation
that involves the whole being, which is driven by an intimate necessity.

ORGANISATION OF THE ASSOCIATION

The RDP is made up of a general assembly, an executive committee, a managing committee, a general secretary and a grant awarding committee bringing together experts from the field of dance, the medical profession, and professional orientation.

HONORARY PRESIDENTS:
Susanne Jaillet – Founder and President of the RDP from 1993 to 2010. Administrator of GM Productions and Rezonance SA. Holds a degree of SAWI as a Specialist in cultural, social en environmental management. Former Human Resources manager in a computer equipment company.

Philippe Braunschweig (from 2008 to 2010) – Honorary Chairman and Founder of the International Organization for the Transition of Professional Dancers (IOTPD), Honorary Chairman and Founder of the Prix de Lausanne, Honorary Chairman and Founder of the Foundation of the Béjart Ballet Lausanne, Honorary Chairman and Co-founder of the ASD (former Swiss association of dance professionals), degree in physics from the EPFZ, member of the Swiss academy of Technical Science.

THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE:
Olivier Mayor – President of the RDP. Council member of the Municipality of the City of Nyon in charge of social affairs, Sports, Schools and Religions, former professional dancer, former head of production and administrator of the École Atelier Rudra Béjart, live performance producer and event creator.

Caroline Olivier – Vice-president of the RDP. Psychologist specialised in professional orientation and coaching, former placement counsellor at the ORP in Lausanne in charge of dancers’ files, currently employed by a recruitment agency.

Anne Davier – Member of the Pro Helvetia Foundation Council for dance, in charge of public relations and editor of the ADC (Association for Contemporary Dance) in Geneva.

Yann Aubert – Administrator of the company Foofwa d'Imobilité and Director of the Yann Aubert Agency. Coach in competitive sports, with federal certificate of higher vocational education and training, former ballet teacher of the Swiss national teams of gymnastics. Former dancer of the Stuttgart Ballet, the Béjart Ballet Lausanne and the Ballet Junior of Geneva.

Philippe Cohen – Director of the Ballet du Grand Théâtre de Genève. Former director of choreographic studies at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse of Lyon. Former dancer of the Ballet of Nancy and Compagnie Dominique Bagouet.

Jean-François Kessler - Ballet master and teacher. Former dancer at the Ballet de l'Opéra de Paris and at the Ballet National de Marseille under the direction of Marie-Claude Pietragalla. Has aslo danced in several musicals.

GENERAL SECRETARIAT:
Karine Grasset – General Secretary of the RDP. Former professional dancer, degree in cultural management, also General Secretary of la CORODIS.

Selina von Schack - Collaborator of the RDP. Holds a Master in Sociology and a Master in Management of cultural organizations. Former coordinator for dance companies and associations in Montreal, also General Secretary of the Swiss Dance Archives.