About – Life in Motion

Jess Gardolin is a Brazilian-born choreographer, dancer, aerialist, and roller skater whose artistic language merges movement, theatre, opera, and circus arts. She began her artistic formation in childhood through artistic roller skating—becoming a national champion in the discipline—alongside training in ballet, modern dance, and theatre. She later pursued professional dance studies at Escola de Dança Teatro Guaíra and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Dance and Pedagogy from Faculdade de Artes do Paraná.

While still developing her academic formation, she began performing professionally in dance companies, musical theatre productions, and circus theatre projects, where she first encountered aerial acrobatics. Her artistic path later expanded through aerial and acrobatic training with the coach Evgeni Smirnov, leading to large-scale performance productions in Brazil and Macau.

Before relocating to Europe, she toured throughout Brazil with Company Rudá and performed in major musical theatre productions including Wicked and Os Saltimbancos Trapalhões.

From 2017 to 2023, she toured internationally with Compagnia Finzi Pasca across Europe, Asia, and the Americas, performing in productions such as Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Einstein on the Beach, Maria de Buenos Aires, La Verità, Donka, Per Te, Abrazos, Luna Park and Nuda. She also worked with major European institutions including Grand Théâtre de Genève, Bühnen Bern, and Staatsoper Hamburg.

Alongside her international performance career, Gardolin has developed her own choreographic practice through works including Via Coflussa, Met’Amorfosi, Elements, Minotauro, and The 7 Deadly Sins, creating immersive performances where dance, aerial movement, visual dramaturgy, and physical theatre converge.