Born in France in 1983, Maud trained at the École Nationale de Marseille and the Conservatoire National de Toulouse before dancing professionally with the Ballet National de Marseille and the Ballet du Capitole de Toulouse. Between 2006 and 2009, she was a member of Nederlands Dans Theater II in the Netherlands, later performing with Sidra Bell in New York and Hiroaki Umeda in Berlin. She began her collaboration with Compagnia Zappalà Danza in 2011 as a dancer, performing in many of the company’s major productions to date. In 2017, she took part in Marina Mascarell’s production Three Times Rebel. Today, she serves as an assistant to Roberto Zappalà and is a resident faculty member of the MoDem language for Compagnia Zappalà Danza. She has also pursued her own choreographic path, creating works such as Siamo for CZD2 (compagniazappalàdanza2). In 2023, she was honored with the prestigious Danza&Danza Award for “Dancer of the Year.”
Workshop – MoDem Language
A project by Roberto Zappalà Led by Maud de la Purification (Dancer and Assistant, Compagnia Zappalà Danza)
MoDem is the choreographic language developed and codified by Compagnia Zappalà Danza and choreographer Roberto Zappalà over recent years.
Taking its creative cue from three foundational essays written by the choreographer himself—Corpo devoto (Devoted Body), Corpo etico (Ethical Body), and Corpo istintivo (Instinctive Body), now compiled into the single volume OMNIA CORPORA—this workshop explores Roberto Zappalà’s distinct philosophical and practical approach to choreography. The text serves as a collection of notes and analytical insights into the constructive process behind the choreographer’s creative vision.
The physical core of the workshop, led by Maud de la Purification, focuses on strengthening both body and mind through intense, powerful muscular work. The MoDem language is anchored in fundamental criteria tied to natural flows and physical harmonies experienced daily by the body, utilizing a methodology designed to foster creative cross-pollination among the participants.
The joints and distinct sections of the body are systematically isolated and articulated to reveal the endless range of motion possessed by the limbs—both internally and externally—allowing these possibilities to be explored, invented, and expanded day by day. A raw animalistic quality is an essential element of Zappalà’s work, as is instinct, within which an apparent imperfection is embraced. In the choreographer’s unique vocabulary, both instinct and imperfection become defining, value-added elements of movement.
