Benoit Swan Pouffer

Benoit Swan Pouffer is the Artistic Director of Rambert and an internationally renowned dance artist and company leader.

Born and trained in Paris, he moved to New York where he spent seven years as a principal dancer with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. He went on to become the Artistic Director of Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet, a post he held for 10 years. His tenure at the helm of the company was described by the New York Times as “a New York success story”, gaining wide acclaim for introducing a new generation of international choreographers to US audiences, being the first there to commission work from artists including Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Alexander Ekman, Crystal Pite and Hofesh Shechter.

As a choreographer Benoit has made dance for companies around the world including Ailey2 and Rambert’s early career ensemble Rambert2, feature films, music videos, and Broadway shows. Recently, he directed Note To Self for Rambert, the last of a 2021 series of innovative livestreamed dance works performed, filmed and broadcast in real time on Rambert Home Studio to fans around the world. He will be directing and choreographing the upcoming Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby for Rambert premiering later this year in the summer of 2022.

His ability to blend artistically stimulating content with commercially popular work has led to critical acclaim.