Contemporary

Alesandra Seutin is an award-winning multidisciplinary performance artist and creator, whose focus is exploring movement as a foundation for theatre, media and site-specific works. The daughter of South African and Belgian parents, Alesandra was born in Harare, Zimbabwe. She calls herself an 'Afropean'. An inspirational leader with a multifaceted career spanning two decades, she has reached global audiences through her work as an artistic director, choreographer, performer, mentor, teacher, movement director, dramaturg and writer for performance and music. As a successor to Germaine Acogny, Alesandra is co-director of the Ecole des Sables in Senegal.

Director and choreographer Stephanie Thiersch is the founder and artistic director of MOUVOIR and is one of the most versatile in her field in Germany. Thiersch sees her choreographic work in a broader understanding of interdisciplinary movement research, which initially includes new media and visual arts and currently above all music into her choreographic thinking. She works closely with the dancers in her company, whose backgrounds and dance styles are rather versatile. As the relationship between music and movement plays a fundamental role in the creation of her pieces, she enters into intensive artistic alliances with composers and musicians (Brigitta Muntendorf, Asasello Quartet, Les Siècles Orchestra or DJ Elephant Power, Dodo NKishi). Her visual choreographic language includes concrete ideas for the stage, costume design and lighting design into the scenic realization.

Amanda Romero is a Peruvian performer and choreographer living in Cologne. After studying dance at the HfMT Cologne, she worked as a dancer in Hamburg and as a choreographer in various theatres in NRW. As co-founder of the collective Dencuentro, together with Greta Salgado and Constanza Ruiz, she jointly developed methods for artistic collective work, developed a dance production and several mediation formats. Her current research focuses on movement and dance as a practice of resistance against ecological colonisation and as a medium to heal the wounded relationship between the human species and the ecosystem. She includes landscapes, "more-than-human" creatures in her work and recently presented this research at IMPACT23, PACT Zollverein. Amanda has been gaining experience in teaching dance since 2018 in schools, youth centres and dance schools.
Webseite: https://amanda-romero.com/

Born in Oita Prefecture in 1992, Nakama is a dancer based in Kobe, Japan. After training at the Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance (London) she took part as a scholarship student in a dance study program in Kobe organized by the Agency for Cultural Affairs and NPO Dance Box. She has worked with Mika Kurosawa, Reina Kimura, contact Gonzo and Toshiki Okada (chelfitsch) among others. While committed to the way the body is choreographed by someone or something, she pursues a phenomenon that she believes can only be called dance. In recent years she has been actively focused on the creation of her own works. Her work Freeway Dance (2019), which premiered at Dance Box, has since been presented at Performing Arts Meeting in Yokohama 2020 (TPAM 2020), Kyoto Experiment 2021 Spring, Kunstenfestivaldesarts (2021) and Center Pompidou (2021) among others. From 2018 to 2020 she was an associate artist at Dance Box. In 2022, she won the 16th Kobe Nagata Culture Encouragement Prize. She is a Saison Foundation ‘Saison Fellow I’ from 2022-2023.

Ayu Permata Sari is a choreographer and dancer from North Lampung, Indonesia. She earned her bachelor's degree in dance creation in 2010-2014 at ISI Yogyakarta, Indonesia and her master of arts degree at the same campus in 2014-2016. Ayu founded Ayu Permata Dance Project as a platform to encourage herself and her collaborators in developing their practice. Since 2020 Ayu has focused on reading and reinterpreting the position of women and men in the Lampung Pepadun tribe. This process is Ayu's way of criticizing the traditional values of the Lampung Pepadun tribe in the present.
One of her works entitled Kami Bu-ta won the "Jasa Bakti" award from the Asian Technology Festival in Johor, Malaysia, 2018. "TubuhDang TubuhDut" was produced for IDF's Kampana program in 2018, and has been performed in several cities in Indonesia, as well as various countries such as Singapore (2018), Malaysia (2018), and Germany (2019 and 2022). Ayu received an art grant from Komunitas Salihara in 2019 and 2020. In 2020-2021, Ayu collaborated with 3Cs Karakoa Projec. In 2021 her latest work entitled Load? premiered at Zuricher Theater Spektakel, Switzerland. 2022 - 2024 Ayu collaborated with Ayaka Nakama a choreographer from Japan, this program was initiated by paradancer (Yogyakarta) and Dance Box (Kobe).

Carlo Melis is among the most longstanding teachers at tanzhaus nrw. He has been teaching modern and jazz dance at the house since 1989, integrating influences from contemporary dance. “Contemporary dance’s freedom challenges standardised techniques in modern and jazz dance, turning the gaze inward.” Accordingly, Carlos’ classes focus less on learning a technique but rather on rediscovering a strategy we have been carrying within from our earliest childhood movements: Being curious, experiencing oneself and one’s body, feeling one’s own emotions. The participants work on movements, but also always on their origins. “We only start dancing when emotions drive movements.” Carlo entered vocational training to become a construction engineer for the sake of his parents, yet he has been fascinated by the arts early on in his youth, playing in physical theatre and in Living Theatre. Following a workshop with Bob Curtis, a pioneer in Afro contemporary dance, Carlo discovered dance: “I had never experienced such intensity. From that moment on, I knew that I wanted to dance.” So, he started studying classical ballet, modern and jazz dance in his homeland of Sardinia at age 26. Later, he also graduated with a degree in theatre and dance education from several Italian universities. During a dance scholarship at the Folkwang University of the Arts, Carlo received tuition by great Wuppertal choreographer Pina Bausch, an experience that influenced his subsequent dance works. He contributed to TV productions, worked with numerous companies and taught at Arnhem University as well as elsewhere.

Chin-A Hwang, geboren in Südkorea, erhielt ihre Ausbildung als klassische Bühnentänzerin an der Seoul Arts High School in Korea. Im Anschluss studierte sie Bühnentanz am Zentrum für Zeitgenössischen Tanz - ZZT in Köln.
Seit 2017 ist Chin-A Hwang als freiberufliche Tanzpädagogin unter anderem in der Tanzfaktur, im Cologne Dance Center Köln sowie in verschiedenen Ballettschulen tätig.
Sie unterrichtet sowohl Amateure als auch Profis im klassischen und modernen Tanz.
Regelmäßig tanzt Chin-A Hwang auch in verschiedenen Produktionen der Deutschen Oper am Rhein Duisburg/ Düsseldorf und der Oper Köln.
Seit 2019 studiert sie den Master-Studiengang "Tanzpädagogik klassischer Tanz" an der Folkwang Universität der Künste in Essen.

Clinton Stringer was born and raised in South Africa. After studying for an Arts Degree there, he moved to Belgium to attend P.A.R.T.S. where he spent two years. In 2000, Clinton joined Rosas (Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker). Over the course of nine years he was involved in many creations and restagings of repertoire pieces including Rain, Drumming, April Me, Raga for the Rainy Season, Mozart / Concert Arias and Bitches Brew. In 2011 and 2014, he was involved in the re-staging of Rain at the Opéra de Paris. Freelance dance projects include Dancesmith (2013) with Mark Lorimer and Cynthia Loemij; Volcano (2014) and You Can’t Take it With You (2017) with Liz Kinoshita; and Gerhard Richter (2017) with Mårten Spångberg. Clinton has also taught technique and Rosas masterclasses at P.A.R.T.S., the Opera de Lyon, the Opéra de Paris, the Danish National School of Performing Arts and the University of the Arts (Philadelphia). In 2019, he became Associate Choreographer of the West Side Story revival on Broadway, assisting choreographer Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker during the audition and creation process. He is currently rehearsal director for EXIT ABOVE of Rosas.

Darwin Díaz ist Tänzer, Lehrer und Choreograph. Er studierte an der IUDANZA Tanz-Universität in Caracas. 2005 kam er mit einem Stipendium von DAAD und Fundayacucho nach Deutschlandund und absolvierte an der Folkwang Universität der Künste den Studiengang Tanz. Von 2009 bis 2014 war er bei Folkwang Tanz-Studio engagiert. Darwin hat bis 2018 am Stadt Theater Trier unter der künstlerischen Leitung von Susanne Linke getanzt und choreografiert. Er hat u.a. mit Choreographen wie Pina Bausch - Tanztheater Wuppertal, Samir Akika, Anna Holter, Theater der Kläge, Hannes Langolf, Lokstoff “theater im offentlichen Raum” gearbeitet. Als Choreograph hat er zweifach den ersten und den Publikumspreis an zwei verschiedenen Tanzfestivals mit dem Stück „Study #3 The Circle“ gewonnen.
Als Lehrer hat er seinen eigenen Stil und recherchiert zwischen Hatha Yoga und Release Technique. Er unterrichtete an verschiedenen Companien wie: TanzTheater Wuppertal, FTS (Folkwang Tanzstudio), Folkwang Universität der Künste, Cooperativa Maura Morales, Ben Riepe und NeuerTanz.

Dina ed Dik erhielt ihre Tanzausbildung an der Fontys Dansacademie in Tilburg in den Niederlanden.
Seither arbeitete sie als freiberufliche Tänzerin und Performerin an verschiedenen Theatern und mit freien Kompanien unter anderem in den Niederlanden, Belgien, Frankreich und Deutschland.
Seit 2001ist sie Assistentin und Ensemblemitglied des französischen Choreografen Jérôme Bel und erarbeitet mit verschiedenen internationalen Ensembles Neueinstudierungen seiner Stücke und leitet die Proben dazu. In diesem Rahmen hat sie viel Erfahrung in der Arbeit mit großen, sehr diversen, heterogenen Gruppen sammeln können. Im Tanzhaus NRW war diese Arbeit mit „The Show Must Go On „von Jérôme Bel im September 2014 zu sehen.
Neben dem Tanz praktiziert sie seit vielen Jahren Iyengar Yoga, als Unterstützung zum Tanztraining. Übungen und Ansätze aus dieser Technik zur Verbesserung der Flexibilität und der Kraft fließen in ihren Unterricht mit ein.

Doralisa was born in Caracas, Venezuela and lives in Germany since 2014 where she works as a dancer and teacher. She studied classical ballet and contemporary dance and has performed in several national and international festivals. Doralisa’s teaching ethos emphasizes endless exploration, nourishing of body, spirit and soul, being spontaneous and authentic in he creation of music with respect towards your own body and other people in the class. As a creative artist she is mindful of giving space to feel and explore the possibilities of finding new ways to make and research choreographic work and material. Dance is less about time than simply feeling what is in the moment

Bouni, Fellow, Jennifer Döring, Mina Schneider, Elisa Marschall, Sarena Bockers

Dwayne Holliday is a dancer, choreographer, teacher and dance scholar. After a successful career as a professional ballet dancer in international companies, he studied contemporary dance at the Center for Contemporary Dance - Cologne University of Music and Dance before working in the contemporary independent scene. He holds a master's degree in dance studies and is currently writing his PhD. His artistic works have been shown in various theaters, museums and public spaces and he has produced a number of dance films. Together with choreographer Maria Golding, he founded the temporary collective “Golding/Holliday”. In addition to his choreographic work, he is regularly invited to participate in various choreographic projects as a dancer, and has published articles on dance and worked as a critic for international publications. He is a father. In 2021 he successfully founded, curated and organised “Beamed Dance Film Festival”.

Elisa Marschall ist eine deutsch-nicaraguanische zeitgenössische Tänzerin, Performerin, Choreografin sowie Tanz-, Yoga- und Theaterpädgogin. Sie absolvierte ihr Tanzstudium an der Folkwang Universität der Künste in Essen und an der ArtEZ Hogeschool voor de Kunsten in Arnheim (Niederlande). Bisher hatte sie Gelegenheit mit Regisseur*innen und Choreograf*innen wie Susanne Linke, Anna Holter, Maura Morales, Philipp Stölzl, Andreas Rosar, Carlus Padrissa sowie mit artcenisco performing arts, Sepidar Theater und das Theater der Klänge u.a. zusammen zu arbeiten. Im Jahr 2014 zertifizierte sie sich in Indien zur Yogalehrerin. Seitdem unterrichtet sie leidenschaftlich gerne Gruppen sowie einzelne Personen. 2020 absolvierte sie eine Ausbildung zur Theaterpädagogin in BuT® an der Akademie off-theatre in Neuss. Seit 2021 ist sie Mitglied des Forumtheaters Inszene in Köln, wo sie als Schauspielerin sowie Moderatorin in der kulturellen Bildung tätig ist. Derzeit absolviert sie neben ihrer künstlerischen Tätigkeit einen Master in Szenischer Forschung an der RUB.

Emma Valtonen studied dance and dance education in Finland and Portugal. After many months of performing her graduation work in Finland, she now works as a teacher and choreographer in Finland, Italy and China, among other places. She loves travelling and has trained internationally in various dance styles - always curious and connected with the desire to explore new, unusual paths and movement languages. Various dance styles from urban dance, modern and jazz dance as well as different bodywork techniques shape Emma's style. Her way of teaching is very approachable and open, and her participants are enthusiastic about her “creative, focused, loving and humorous way of teaching”. Emma herself says of her classes: “I want my students to be challenged without pressure or competition.”

Erika Winkler received her dance education at the Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen and, following her graduation, worked at a number of theatres and in freelance companies, with an engagement of several years with Dutch Company RAZ. She developed projects for Ruhr.2010 and is a regular choreographer for Team Plöger/Winkler/Becker at the FFT Düsseldorf. She teaches workshops internationally and has been an esteemed and popular teacher at tanzhaus nrw since 1998. Here, as well as at PACT Zollverein and for companies like Ultima Vez, Neuer Tanz or Random Dance, she offers regular professional training, too.

Giulia is a dancer, Zumba instructor, entertainer and model. She performed on stage for the first time at the age of three and has since gained a lot of experience on stage and on TV. With her first two groups "Hype Snipes" and "UniteD! Movement", she competed successfully at championships for many years. At the age of 16, Giulia started an urban dance education and discovered her passion for the dance style voguing and ballroom culture. In the years that followed, Giulia traveled throughout Europe to take workshops from various dancers and her own idols in order to further her education. At the age of 18 Giulia founded her first own crew called "Do Better Blues" which today serves as a platform for artists of all kinds. Giulia is known in the ballroom scene as Blossom Prodigy. She was a part of the Kiki House of Angels where she achieved the title German Princess and is a former member of the Iconic House of Prodigy. In recent years she has had the chance to dance for artists such as Culcha Candela, Olsen, Ilja Richter, F1rstman from Holland and at the Splash Festival. She is part of the SpecialOne team for which she models and dances all over Europe. Teaching dance is a great passion of hers.

Tamara Rahil began her career with competitive dance in jazz and modern. In 2013, she decided to complete a professional stage dance training course at the "dance emotion - freiburger akademie für tanz". In the following years, she traveled to numerous countries, such as Italy, Great Britain, Ukraine and the USA, to expand her movement repertoire and continue her training in jazz, contemporary and hip-hop. It is these styles that continue to shape her artistic profile. Today Tamara works as a dancer and dance teacher as well as a lecturer for projects such as the "Chance Tanz" project "Hip-Hop Alive" or the European-funded Erasmus+ project "Dance Crew EU" in Bologna/Italy. "I offer real training that provides a solid foundation and enables the participants to grow beyond themselves through the challenges. I give a lot of energy in my lessons and strive for a balance between seriousness and fun. In addition to technique, I also focus on posture and attitude when dancing,' says Tamara.

Irina Hortin first studied linguistics and literature in Germany, France and Argentina before going on to study contemporary dance in Cologne and Munich. She performs internationally, regularly choreographs for Schalktheater in Zurich, heads youth dance theatre projects and teaches contemporary dance, contact improvisation as well as tango at international festivals. The encounter with Frey Faust, an important figure within French contemporary dance and editor of movement dictionary Axis Syllabus, was of special importance for Irina’s vocational biography, and Irina, as a certified Axis Syllabus (AS) teacher, references the dictionary. The interdisciplinary AS research network surveys the functions of the human body in motion. In the process, information from biomechanics, anatomy, physics and medicine come into use to analyse our motion apparatus and to have it start to move in a functional and caring way. The focus always lies on a respectful contact with oneself and others – and, of course, on the fun in dancing!

Jean-Hugues was born in Avignon (France) and completed his dance training at the local conservatory. He developed and refined his modern dance technique by working with the choreographer Anne- Marie Porras in Montpellier and completed his Diplome d'état in 1993. After that he worked as an assistant for Anne-Marie Porras and taught at her training school Epsedanse. Jean-Hugues Assohoto is a sought-after dance teacher, choreographer and dancer and has taught in many countries (France, Germany, Japan, Italy, Spain, Slovenia, the Caribbean, Africa, Israel, ect...). In 1999 he received an engagement as a dancer at the Nationaltheater Mannheim, where he worked with choreographers such as Philipp Talard, Bruno Jacquin, Jeanne Renshaw, Marc Mc Clain and Antonio Gomez. He then danced for the Tanztheater Heidelberg under the direction of Irina Pauls. In addition, as a freelance choreographer, he created various projects commissioned by the Theater HD/MA and Choré-Ame Dance Company. For 16 years he has worked as a lecturer for contemporary dance at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Frankfurt am Main. He currently works as a lecturer for modern/contemporary dance at the State Ballet School Berlin.

Kollektiv ZOO consists of Anja Plonka, Constantin Leonhard and Jens Eike Krüger. ZOO collages and intervenes in urban spaces and theaters with everyday actions, choreographies and incidental material. They work with documentary, installation and choreographic means. Discursive contradictions become the accelerator of actions and aesthetics. Their artistic research began with the performative exploration of the choreographic potential of shaking, pulverizing, decomposing and breaking furniture with bodies. Since their residency in context of Now & Next 2016 in tanzhaus nrw they have been connected to the house. As young artists, the collective is a member of the choreographers’ association iDAS NRW. Starting in 2017, the collective dealt with questions about protest and the resulting barricades. The collective was invited by Justus-Liebig-University Mainz to give a lecture on the subject of “barricades”. In 2020, the collective intervened as part of the housing project in the politics of the cultural institution die börse in the urban space of Wuppertal. In 2020, as part of the Reload grant from the German Federal Cultural Foundation, the collective developed the Performance Correspondence Network - a performative communication about scores and packages with letters and materials. The artistic and physical examination of fighting as choreographic material and as a form of dialogue has become a focus of their work since the first #TakeHeart residency 2020 at tanzhaus nrw.

Dance has been occupying a large part of Laura Virgillitto’s life since she was three years old. Following a five-year stay in New York where she studied at the renowned Martha Graham Dance School and at other places while also learning to utilise the GYROTONIC EXPANSION SYSTEM® for her dancer’s career, the native Italian came to Germany in 1997. She worked as a dancer with several different choreographers and companies. Today, Laura is mainly active as a freelance instructor with different companies and institutions both nationally and internationally, among them the Folkwang Tanzstudio, Stadttheater Bielefeld, PACT Zollverein, VA Wölfl’s NEUER TANZ, and also at tanzhaus nrw for about 15 years now. She is a GYROKINESIS® master trainer and heads her own studio in Cologne. She teaches the GYROKINESIS® movement system which puts an emphasis on somatic aspects, addressing both people with and without prior dance experience, as well as a contemporary training for professional dance creatives at tanzhaus nrw. 

Leon is a passionate mover, dancer and acrobat. He studied contemporary circus arts with focus on partner acrobatics in Brussels and worked in different projects on the line between dance and circus. Since 2018 he is part of the company Overhead Project from Cologne with which he is performing in the pieces "My Body Is Your Body" and "What Is Left", currently working on the new creation "Blueprint". In 2020 he also became part of the French circus company Un Loup Pour L'Homme and their creation "Dans L'Espace". Leon also created his own duo work "Homo Puppy" together with his partner Hrista Panayotova - an ongoing study of the connection between all beings on the planet and the better side of humanity.

Having a background in breakdance, Lin combines contemporary and urban elements in his current artistic and dance education work. He is a former German breakdance champion and has danced with renowned dance theaterer makers, such as Susanne Linke, the former Pina Bausch dancer Regina Advento, the internationally touring company La Macana or the director Nuran David Calis. He also worked for the Tanztheater Erfurt. In recent years, Lin has focused his choreographic work on children's and youth theater. He has choreographed and directed pieces for renowned theaters for young audiences such as Jes in Stuttgart, Tanz Graz and the Comedia Theater in Cologne. In 2018, he won 2nd prize at the NRW Youth Culture Prize with the dance company MIRA and "Youngdogs" and was invited to the Berliner Festspiele's "Tanztreffen der Jugend" in 2019 with his youth production "Uncanny Valley". In 2019, he won the "SoloDuo Competition" in Cologne with a solo. His piece "MutigMutig" was nominated for the Cologne Theater Prize in 2020 and was "Children's Theater of the Month" in November 2022. In 2023 his choreographed urban dance piece "Aus der Kurve fliegen" (directed by Grete Pagan) was nominated for the theater prize "Der Faust".

The South African choreographer and art activist, Ms. Mamela Nyamza, is formally trained in Ballet, and got further training at the Alvin Ailey New York School of Dance as visiting scholar. This is where Nyamza began to tackle the classical genre of dance, by deconstructing the traditional methods and logic of ballet and contemporary dance. Her ground-breaking works, “The Dying Swan” – innovation in the dance in 1998; “Hatched” – against patriarchy in 2007, and the “The Meal” – against elitist ballet in 2012, are autobiographical works that trample on the norms of the classics. Her other works include: “BLACK PRIVILEGE” – against injustices of women; “PEST CONTROL” – miscarriage of justice within the arts formalized institutions; "GROUNDED" - reflection of contemporary narratives and dramaturgy behind political discourses of dialogue and performance between the contemporary artist and audience, and her newest work “HATCHED ENSEMBLE” - that is being performed by 10 ballet trained dancers from different ethnic backgrounds, conveying deeply personal and challenging issues of tradition and artists evolving experiences and gender norms within the dance classics, until they ultimately realize their own respective true identities within the arts and creative industry. Mamela Nyamza has received these awards and accolades, including being chosen as the Featured Artist of the Grahamstown Standard Bank National Arts Festival 2018, a first of its kind for the Dance Art Genre; and chosen as the Legacy Artist for JOMBA! Dance Festival for the Year 2023; awarded the FNB Dance Indaba Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Dancer in Contemporary Style for “THE DYING SWAN” in 2000; chosen in 2011 as the Standard Bank Young Artist for the DANCE; in 2016, awarded the IMBOKODO Award for DANCE; and, in 2022, Nyamza received an award from Burkina Faso Festival International de Danse de Ouagadougou (FIDO 2022), the Marraines FIDO 2022. Nyamza was invited to take part in the Dance Future 11:Focus Pina Bausch 2017 in Germany, where the iconic and visionary dancer, Pina Bausch, was celebrated. For the Seasons 2020 and 2022, Nyamza was temporary based at the Theatre Chatelet, Paris in France as a Choreographer for the African Production Le Vol du Boli, under the direction of Abderrahmane Sissako from Mali. In June 2022, Mamela Nyamza was appointed as a Curator for the Artistic Programme: Africa, by the Staatstheatre Mainz in Germany, for the Tanz Kongress 22, under the Theme "Sharing Potentials". The ultimate vision for Nyamza, is to make DANCE, as the genre of the performance art, to convey body politics on all social issues, and not to entertain but to edutain. Hence the creation of Hatched Ensemble and the establishment of her new non-profit company Mamelas Artistic Movement.

Marcela Ruiz Quintero is a Columbian dancer and choreographer based in Düsseldorf. In 2000, she received a Master’s Degree in Performing Arts with a major in Contemporary Dance at the Universidad Distrital de Bogotá in Colombia and a Degree in Dance in 2004 from the Folkwang University of Arts in Essen, Germany. From 2005 until 2009, she worked with the dance company Folkwang Tanzstudio (FTS), collaborating with leading choreographers: Henrietta Horn, Michèle Anne De Mey, Thierry De Mey, Rodolpho Leoni, Leandro Kees and Ben J. Riepe. From 2007 until 2010, she was invited by the Pina Bausch dance company to perform the iconic piece The Rite of Spring (created in 1975), presented during an extensive and lengthy world tour. Since 2009 Marcela has been working as a freelance dancer and choreographer, developing her own projects and collaborating with other artists from the independent scene.

Maria Mercedes Flores Mujica is a Venezuelan dance artist based in Cologne. By researching peculiar communication forms, she creates performative ecosystems that bloom on the stage and beyond. In her training she uses folk dance and somatic methods to  that retrieve rhythmicality, body knowledge, and festivity values to integrate them in contemporary dance practice.

Minas Leidenschaft als Tänzerin und Lehrerin entspringt ihrer lebenslangen Obsession für Bewegung und Musik und diese, vereint in verschiedensten Situationen, zu erleben und zu geniessen; was sie im Laufe ihrer Zeit immer näher zu ihrem Beruf als Tanzkünstlerin führte. Mit dem Tanzen begann Mina früh in den Ballet Studios von Sonja Bjerke und Olivia Lindig. Später, im Laufe der Teenager Jahre, begann Mina neben dem klassischen Ballet die Stile Contemporary, Dancehall und Modernen Tanz wöchentlich zu trainieren; und nach dem Abitur 2018 war schnell entschlossen, dass der Weg weiter Richtung Tanz geht. Von 2018 bis 2022 studierte Mina an der ‚ArtEZ University of the Arts‘ in den Niederlanden Tanz, Choreografie und Pädagogik und tanzte in verschiedenen Stücken und Produktionen mit. Während ihrer Studienzeit konzentrierte sie sich vor allem auf das Entdecken ihrer eigenen Tanzsprache und erlangte professionelles Training in den Stilen Ballet, Modern, Contemporary/Floorwork und Jazz. Im letzten Jahr ihres Studiums spezialisierte Mina sich auf das interdisziplinäre Arbeiten mit professionellen Tänzern*innen und Musiker*innen um beide Disziplinen durch Improvisation in Relation zu einander zu setzen. Gegenwertig tanzt und unterrichtet Mina hauptsächlich in Köln und Umgebung. Sie unterrichtet in den Stilen Urban Contemporary, Floorwork, Improvisation und Modern.

Mirjam Neuling is a state-approved musical performer, who later concentrated on her other passion - dance. New Dance gave her access to contemporary dance through her training as a "Community Performance Teacher" with Rotraud de Neve and Heidrun Vielhauer in Hamburg. At that time she became acquainted with contact improvisation. Through regular further training at the Tic Tac Art Centre in Brussels with David Zambrano, at Bewegungsart in Freiburg and "Movimiento en Piso" with Pedro Garcia, she developed her profile in contemporary dance, characterized by animal flow, improvisation, floor work and contact improvisation. Mirjam enjoys working in collaboration with other arts and applies aspects of performance in the form of interaction with the audience. She has recently staged several dance projects in Mexico.
In addition to dance, Mirjam has been practicing yoga for many years. She particularly appreciates the breath training and strength building as a support for dance practice. What she likes about contemporary dance is the focus on the body as it is and experimenting with it.
"It's wonderful to experience what the body is capable of when it is allowed to express itself in a relaxed and safe environment."

Erika Winkler received her dance education at the Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen and, following her graduation, worked at a number of theatres and in freelance companies, with an engagement of several years with Dutch Company RAZ. She developed projects for Ruhr.2010 and is a regular choreographer for Team Plöger/Winkler/Becker at the FFT Düsseldorf. She teaches workshops internationally and has been an esteemed and popular teacher at tanzhaus nrw since 1998. Here, as well as at PACT Zollverein and for companies like Ultima Vez, Neuer Tanz or Random Dance, she offers regular professional training, too.

Paolo Fossa is choreographer, dancer and teacher. He has been working throughout Europe for the last 20 years, applying his knowledge of the body in movement to contemporary dance and improvisation. He teaches in many theatres, dance companies, at Folkwang University, Academy of Theatre and Dance Amsterdam University of Arts, Tanzhaus NRW in Düsseldorf, Fontys in Tilburg and DansArt Akademie in Bielefeld. In cooperation with these institutions he also realises choreographies that stand alongside his numerous independent productions. Some of his latest works: Körpererzählung (2019), Stray Dogs (2018).Due to his pronounced communicative and organisational skills, he has been running a dance education project in Shenzhen/China since 2017 together with the Giessen Dance Company, where he has been working as a ballet master for contemporary dance since 2015. The aim is to develop a curriculum for contemporary and improvisation techniques at the Shenzhen Arts School. Parallel to his work on stage, he works with private and city institutions and leads several social projects with young people. Together with the choreographer Gerda König, creator of the first project of the M.A.D.E. ( Mixed-Abled Dance Education ), he is working on the creation of a new method of studying contemporary dance, which will enable students and dancers with and without disabilities to pursue a joint education.

Silke Schuster and Mira Rosa Plikat are freelance dancers and choreographers. They met while studying contemporary dance at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz in Cologne and have been working together on various projects and research projects ever since. Their common interest lies in teaching contemporary dance techniques as well as floorwork and acrobatics. It is important to them to create trusting contexts and group constellations that enable the participants to develop self-confidence and relate to each other.

Stefanie Schwimmbeck has been working as a freelance contemporary dancer and dance teacher since her studies at the University of Music and Dance in Cologne (HfMT). Her experience as a dance teacher ranges from various participatory projects to contemporary dance training for amateurs of all ages and professional dancers to teaching at universities. She teaches creative contemporary dance for children and young people at the Kreative Werkstatt at Brotfabrik Bonn-Beuel and organizes the annual school performance with her dance students aged 4-18. In Düsseldorf, she is regularly part of the dance laboratory "move on..." at Akki - Aktion & Kultur mit Kindern e.V.. For her, dance education builds a bridge between dancers, students and spectators and plays a central role in strengthening the art form of dance.

In this course participants will be introduced to various contemporary dance techniques mixed with urban elements. The elements learned will be combined and linked to choreographies to modern songs. This will help the children to establish a dance foundation for themselves. Let's dance, have fun and learn together! 

Tom Diener was born on 16.07.1993 in Saarbrücken. In September 2015 he began his dance studies at the HfMDK Frankfurt am Main, which he completed in June 2022 with his BA degree in contemporary dance. Tom has been working as a freelance dancer, dance teacher and workshop instructor since August 2019. Choreographers and companies he has worked with include Haptic Hide, Co-Op Dance Company, Seraina Stoffel, Vobalko Kollektiv, Simon Möllendorf, profikollektion and IP-Tanz. He performed his piece ''Improvisation with an Armchair'' on 15.07.2022 as part of the Paradis Festival at the Völklinger Hütte.