Italian-born, dancer-choreographer Jacopo Godani began studying classical ballet and modern dance techniques in 1984 at the Centro studi Danza of La Spezia under the direction of Loredana Rovagna. He also pursued studies in the visual arts for three years at the Fine Arts School of Carrara. In 1986, Godani was accepted to further his studies at Maurice Bejart's international dance centre, Mudra in Bruxelles, Belgium.
Godani made his professional debut in 1988 performing in Le Marietta Secret in Paris. He also performed with Archipel Sud in Namur, Belgium and in the Paris-based company of Jean Francois Duroure. In 1990, Godani formed his own Bruxelles-based company and began his choreographic career. His work in Bruxelles was produced by the theatre Atelier Saint' Anne and was supported by the arts festival Bruxelles Central and the Plateau theatre.
As a dancer, Godani has worked with a range of international choreographers, including William Forsythe, Ohad Naharin, Saburo Teshigawara, Jan Fabre and Amanda Miller. Since 1991, Godani has been a leading soloist with William Forsythe's Ballett Frankfurt and has collaborated with Forsythe on the choreographic creation of many ballets including Quintet, Eidos Telos, Alien Action, Hypothetical Stream and Sleeper's Guts. Godani has created original works for Ballett Frankfurt, Rotterdamse Dansgroep, Spain's I. T. Dansa, Ballett Nurnberg, Sweden's Goteborg Ballet, Karlsruhe Oper Ballet, the Royal Ballet Covent Garden in London, Nederlands Dans Theater 2, Ballett des Landstheater Linz, Ballet du Rhin in France, Madrid's Compania Nacional de Danza, for the Bayerisches Staatsballett in Munich, Les Ballets de Monte Carlo and for the two Paris Opera Etoile dancers Agnes Letestu and Jose Martinez, Bern Ballet in Switzerland and the Royal Danish Ballet. Commissions for 2003 and 2004 include works, the Ballet de Nancy in France, the Aspen-SanteFe Ballet in Colorado, the Aterballetto in Reggio Emilia Italy and Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo.
