In 2006, Emilio Calcagno created the « Compagnie ECO » (ECO Dance Company) and started a residency at the Théâtre de la Faïencerie – Théâtre de Creil.

A free spirit interested in combining arts, Emilio Calcagno’s dance is both physical and theatrical. He has developed a series of works ranging from a plastic arts installation to the comics environment.

BDanse, at the crossroads of comics and dance, is the founding project of the ECO Dance Company. Emilio Calcagno is fascinated by the common ground of those two arts: movement. Four pieces have been created, each of them proposing a new way to read or watch comics. After more than 150 performances in France and abroad, BDanse keeps on reflecting on those arts with its new creation Archipelago, a choreographic installation created on January 2010 at Angouleme during the International Festival for Comics. The creation entitled Mafalda was presented in Le Temps d’Aimer Festival in Biarritz (10^th-13^th September 2011) and in the Plateaux of the CDC Val-de-Marne (23-24, September 2011).

In Nouvelle Vague – Génération Bagnolet (New Wave-The Bagnolet Generation), Emilio Calcagno questions the evolution of contemporary dance in France since the Bagnolet Contest in the 70’s and 80’s, a cornerstone in French contemporary dance. He invites four choreographers, successful candidates of this contest, to present, 20 years later, their award-winning pieces. With his dancer and choreographer’s look on this era, Emilio Calcagno created a film, along with comedian Denis Lavant. This film is shown during the performance, before each piece, it places the Bagnolet Contest in its social, artistic and political context. Nouvelle Vague – Génération Bagnolet was created at the CND (National Centre for Dance) in December 2009.

Emilio Calcagno created PIC (Choreographic Intervention Pole) whose aim is to bring dance where it is not expected. PIC is a new and creative way to increase public awareness outside of theaters.

In 2012, he started working on two ambitious creations: Gourmandises, within the context of the Rousseau 2012 year, and a theatrical adaptation of the Donkey Skin fairy tale at the Théâtre National de Chaillot, with a première in November 2012.

For the 2014-15 season, Emilio Calcagno is now creating a quintet inspired by HITCHCOCK’s universe. How can one explore this purely cinematographic universe on a stage with dancers without falling prey to simple “reconstitution”? How can one use the fundamentals of an aesthetical style in order to apply them on a stage? How can the gesture be « extremised », in order to transform a posture into a movement? How can the suspense be captured when working on a body that never stops moving? …

A true challenge : bringing Hitchcock into a choreographic world.