Urban Styles

I started dancing at a young age and music has always been a focus for me. My first professional dance training was in Jazz Dance. I was also part of a gospel project and for many years I visited HipHop classes that were part of this offer. Pedagogy has always interested me in dance and became a strong motiviation to start a vocational training course as ADTV dance teacher. It was in this context that I was also introduced to ballroom. In 2023 I graduated from JC Academy with a qualification as HipHop dance pedagogue with a special focus on urban dance styles and pedagogy for young people.

Alex danced in shows for artists such as Cascada and Infamous, choreographing for girl band Bisou. In addition, he performed on TV, at “The Dome”, “Top of the Pops”, and with Anke Engelke, for example. His dance style fuses elements from new school hip hop, LA style and old school, and he is a very well-liked teacher who can both urge his students on while keeping an eye on their exact technique at the same time. “Today, I feel happy to pass on my knowledge. This satisfies me,” Alex says.

 Annika Wolf's courses are marked by the fact that improvisation and creative impulses from the children form the central artistic element. After training as a dance teacher, she continued her training in New York, Los Angeles and Cologne. Since 2008 Annika has been working as a choreographer in numerous schools in Düsseldorf, and since 2013 as a teacher at tanzhaus nrw. In January 2020, she took over the artistic supervision and coordination for the dance department of the Kulturamt NRW. "For me, it's about the children getting a feeling for themselves and their movements. I accompany many children and young people over the years and it makes me particularly happy when I notice the progress they make and how proud they are of themselves," says Annika.

Becky Bonsu Brown ist eine professionelle Choreografin und Tänzerin. Sie lernte im Alter von 15 Jahren die Urbane Tanzszene kennen und wirkte in zahlreichen Projekten als Choreografin mit. 2017 legte sie ihren Schwerpunkt auf Afro Dance und Dancehall.
Becky Bonsu Brown hat bereits mit unterschiedlichen Künstler*innen wie z.B. Rema, Ckay,Stonebwoy, Omah Lay, Band Seed, oder Rapper Majo (Banger-Musik) und Madcon zusammengearbeitet.
In ihrem Unterricht legt sie viel Wert auf kulturelle und historische Hintergründe. Positive Energie, Empowerment und Spaß steht für Becky an erster Stelle. Sie unterrichtet seit 2010 an unterschiedliche Tanzschulen Deutschland weit.

Bouni is most at home in urban styles, augmented by solid experience in contemporary as well as in modern dance. He has specialised in funk and hip hop techniques, all of which he has been teaching to participants at tanzhaus nrw since 2016. He has won various battles and danced at events in numerous categories. He won the 2012 Funkin’ Stylez, for example, in the category “Me against the music” at the International Streetdance Festival 2014 in Slovenia in the hip hop category. In 2015, he prevailed at the Global Skills Battle in the Popping and Locking category. Additionally, he has been working as a dancer for the “Urbanatix” show at Jahrhunderthalle Bochum, pursuing numerous projects at centres for kids and teens. As a dancer and choreographer, he also dealt with the human mechanisation within the artistic format for up-and-coming creators, “Now & Next”, on the stage at tanzhaus nrw.

Bridget is a longtime member of the teaching staff of tanzhaus nrw, as well as a working choreographer for german theater. She is the movement and dance trainer for the acting students at the Schauspielstudio at Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus. She has recently choreographed such productions as "Cabaret" und "Zauberberg" for Düsseldorf, "Liebe, Mord und Adelspflichten" for Krefeld, and "Shockheaded Peter" for Thalia Theater Hamburg. She has more than 35 years dancing, teaching, and choreographing experience. Her workshops and classes are characterized as well-rounded, fun, high-energy, and challenging. 

Flockey Ocscor is an internationally demanded dancer and choreographer with great charisma. He has won numerous competitions and is, among other things, a two-time runner-up in the Locking category at the Juste Debout World Finals. A versatile artist, he now produces short films and videos. In 2018, at the invitation of the Goethe-Institut Rwanda, Flockey created a performance of music, dance and storytelling with artists from West Africa as part of the DigiTales across borders project. Flockey's passion for dance started early: he comes from an artistic family, his brother brought him to dance. Since the age of 17, Flockey has been teaching urban dance at tanzhaus nrw. "I want everyone to feel comfortable in my classes, to leave their everyday life behind and to be able to deal with the moves in private later on."

Franky Dee is one of the most renowned dancers of his genre and won numerous battles, e.g. at the Battle Juste Debout, where he was named world champion in the category HipHop several times. Lately, he won the Dance Delight Germany. As a professional dancer he is in demand internationally and teaches HipHop with joy and  passion. Bringing in the knowledge of his outstanding craftsmanship, he teaches his students moves suitable for any party. 

Giulia aka Blossom is a young international artist and teacher for dance and fitness. During her dance career, she has already worked for various artists such as Jason Derulo, Olsen, Culcha Candela, F1rstman, Ilija Richter and many more. As a dance teacher, she is active throughout Europe, focusing on feminine styles such as Jazz Funk and Heels.
Eeven though teaching and choreographing is Giulia's greatest passion, she still enjoys performing on stage as a dancer and showgirl.

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.

For almost 20 years Irena Vujicic has been working in various dance and theater projects as a dancer, choreographer or teacher. She gives Physical Introductions as an intro to international guest performances and teaches advanced workshops for teachers who want to integrate dance and movement into their lessons.

Kofie is a versatile dancer, choreographer and networker collaborating with artists from different genres. He is a co-founder of the Crew Bad Newz MP and of the European Buck Session (EBS) which he established at tanzhaus nrw, together with Osei. EBS is regarded as the most important global Krump event, taking place annually. Proof of Kofie’s talent as a hip-hop dancer is on display as a winner of numerous battles all over Europe. He toured Sweden, Finland, France and Russia with a number of companies, was an artist at the “Beethoven! The Next Level” show and held an engagement at Schauspielhaus Düsseldorf from 2016 until 2018. Yet Kofie did not acquire his skills in a dance studio but rather in self-organised circles after school. Inspired by the many facets of urban styles, he appropriated his skills in hip hop, Krump and Afro Dance himself, later on educating himself further in contemporary dance, modern dance and theatre improvisation. Kofie is also active in other art genres: He has his own fashion label “IBIM Creation” and his short film has won a nomination for the 250 years of Beethoven anniversary “BTHVN 2020” of the City of Bonn.

I have been dancing hip hop and house for 14 years. Three years ago I joined a championship group where I learned commercial HipHop and waacking. I have attended several workshops and have now been teaching my own dance classes in various dance schools and clubs for 6 years. I am happy to teach the basics of waacking, as well as some of the culture and history of the dance style.

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".

Miro is among the nation’s first generation of voguing dancers, procuring lessons from genre trailblazers like Archie Burnett, among others. He counts dancers like Leiomy Maldonado, Dashaun Wesley and Danielle Polanco among his sources of inspiration. In 2018, Miro decided to leave The House of Melody (now House of Saint Laurent), one of Germany’s first voguing dance collectives, which he co-founded. In this context, Miro contributed to TV productions and events in Düsseldorf, Berlin and Paris, even at the legendary Moulin Rouge there.
Miro’s passion extends beyond voguing. From an early age, he danced hip hop and house, moving about in different communities and battles. He graduated from Berlin dance academy for contemporary dance “Balanche 1”. He is active throughout Germany as a dancer and choreographer, worked for Junges Schauspiel Düsseldorf, the German Opera on the Rhine as well as for artists like Zebra Katz and Jennifer Rostock, among others. During the 2017 Berlin Fashion Week, he choreographed for Patricia Field, mainly known for her costumes of US-American series “Sex and the City”. Miro has been a member of the Urbanatix Streetart Artistic Crew since 2016. At the 2019 Brit Awards, he was one of the main dancers during performances by Calvin Harris, Rag’n’Bone Man, Sam Smith und Dua Lipa.

Moris arbeitet seit mehr als 25 Jahren als Tanzdozent und hat bereits in zahlreichen europäischen Ländern unterrichtet. In den Urban Styles umfasst seine Arbeit Hip Hop, Street Jazz, Commercial Dance (Pop / Show / Girly), sowie Afro/Latin. Zu seiner Profession zählen technische Stile wie Jazz, Contemporary, Modern und Lyrical. 2018 gründete er zusammen mit Iván Keim die Tempecy - Modern Dance Company in Estland, wo er als Choreograf für die Produktionen „Dreams“ und „#TALKTOME“ arbeitete. Seit 10 Jahren arbeitet Moris mit der in Estland gegründeten Kompanie Tartu Tantsuuakademia zusammen. Sein Unterricht ist voller Energie, Kreativität und Inspiration. Seine Leidenschaft für Tanz, die er mit seinen Schüler*innen teilt und vermittelt, spiegeln sich in seinen kraftvollen und ausdrucksstarken Bewegungen wieder.

Nini has been active in the urban dance scene for about 10 years and has found her passion in house dance. She organises the "House Session" at tanzhaus nrw to offer dancers and dance enthusiasts in the Düsseldorf and NRW area a place to exchange ideas and get together. Nini has already taken part in various national and international battles and is also regularly invited as a jury member.
She choreographed and performed the piece "No Strings Attached" for the Düsseldorf Night of Museums 2022 and participated in the piece "Touched | Berührt" at the Cologne Künstler*innen Theater (2023). In her course, she wants to introduce the foundation of house dance as well as shape and consolidate the participants' own dance style.

Paul Damiano is a passionate dancer and choreographer from Nairobi, Kenya. He has been inspiring audiences with his dance art since 2012. In recent years his artistic path has taken him to Germany. Here he persistently pursues his goal of gaining international experience as a dancer and bringing his artistic vision to life. Paul Damiano specializes in the expressive forms of Afrohouse and Krump, captivating audiences with his strong presence and impressive personality. As an experienced professional dancer, he has demonstrated his skills not only in Germany, but also in Kenya, Poland and the Philippines. There he taught various Afrohouse workshops. In addition, he has represented the Afrohouse and Krump style at various battles, and thanks to his unique expertise he has already judged several dance battles, including the Bar Battle at Theater Oberhausen. In various renowned dance schools, including the JC Academy in Düsseldorf, Line Up in Cologne and Urban Art Compley in Wuppertal, Paul has not only inspired numerous students, but also gained valuable experience in the art of teaching. Last year he represented his dance style Afrohouse with expression and passion at Redbull Dance Your Style in Munich as an invited dancer.

Petrit entdeckte im Alter von 12 Jahren den Breakdance für sich. Seitdem nahm er weltweit an Events und Wettbewerben teil (u.A in Amerika, Mexiko, Italien, Türkei, England, Bulgarien), reiste durch das Tanzen in 20 Länder und lernte so die verschiedensten Breakdance Stile kennen.
Als Tänzer arbeitet er immer wieder für Fashion-Shows und Musikvideos mit Marken wie Calvin Klein, LTB, Jack & Jones und Künstler*innen wie Mike Singer, Le Shuuk oder Eko Fresh.
Als ausgebildeter Pädagoge verfügt er über umfangreiche Kenntnisse im Unterrichten von Kindern und Jugendlichen. Beim Unterrichten legt er viel Wert darauf, den Kindern die Musik näherzubringen, zu helfen den Tanz zu verstehen und untereinander zu kooperieren.
In seiner Freizeit produziert Petrit selber Musik, ist DJ und spielt verschiedene Instrumente.

Eray Gülay aka Ray is a choreographer, dancer and ensemble member of the Ben J. Riepe Company. He was a member of the House of Melody - the first voguing collective in Germany - from 2014 to 2019. He simultaneously completed his dance training at the Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen. Ray performed in pieces by renowned choreographers such as Jérôme Bel, Mark Sieczkarek and Rainer Behr, and choreographs for pop singer Matthew Wood alongside commercial commissions. As a dancer he has performed for Cakes Da Killa, TT The Artist and Barbara Tucker. In his classes, he appreciates when participants connect with the dance and show emotion. "What do you have to say? What can you do with your body? Those are the important questions for me," says Eray.

Rymon Zacharei, also known by the artistic name Rayboom, was born in 1985 in Bagdad, Iraq. As a dance trainer, choreographer and dancer he combines Hip Hop dance styles, such as Popping, House and Locking with elements of martial arts as well as contemporary dance. Rayboom is founding member of the crew „Bad Newz MP“ and is among the first hip hop dancers of the new German generation.

Ruby is a versatile dancer, choreographer and dance educator, she loves to explore a variety of emotions, narratives, artistic forms and dance styles. At the center of her artistic foundation is a deep connection to urban dance cultures, especially the dynamic and vibrant style of HipHop. In 2019, she co-founded the dance collective HoS (Hood of Sisters) - a visionary initiative that aims to create a supportive environment for women in the urban dance scene. In the same year, Ruby also joined the association "UBeKu e.V.", which is dedicated to promoting the thriving urban movement culture in the North Rhine-Westphalia region. As a young artist, she is passionate about increasing the visibility of urban dance cultures in the theater sector and securing them their rightful place in the spotlight. In projects such as "Rap Lab 2023" or "Urban Bridges", she works in close cooperation with the cultural center Zakk and the tanzhaus nrw to offer young urban dancers valuable dance opportunities.

Sonja Reischl is an urban dancer and choreographer based in Düsseldorf.
She has been teaching both choreography and freestyle in all urban dance genres and age groups for many years and is part of several dance companies. Sonja gained her knowledge and experience through numerous participation in international urban dance camps, advanced trainings and workshops. She teaches with a lot of fun and passion and combines basics, feeling and musicality in her classes.

Surena is a university-taught lawyer, and: She is currently among the most highly regarded urban dancers in the region. Her first contact with dance came up both through her family’s Iranian dances and Michael Jackson’s shows. During her schooldays, Surena gained access to hip hop culture, trained with her crew and in numerous workshops, later founding her own group “ShitHappenz”. She describes her time in France as especially impressive, first and foremost the Paris hip hop clubs. “It was not about self-representation or battling one another but rather about sharing moves and connecting.” This spirit and the agency for hip hop culture remain very important for Surena. She started teaching when she was only 17, at first in Bremen, today in all of Germany and France. Additionally, she was an artist at the legendary Bochum Urbanatix show four years in a row, campaigning for integrational projects in cultural contexts. She takes part in various battles, representing “female hip hop” with her special style.

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! 

Wilhelmina “Willie” Stark zählt zu den besten House-Tänzerinnen Frankreichs. Sie choreografiert Shows in ganz Europa und nahm an vielen Battles teil, darunter Juste Debout Paris und Summer Dance Forever. Seit 2014 teilt Willie ihre Passion für House Dance und Afro Beats als Dozentin am tanzhaus nrw. „Egal ob Anfänger*in oder Profi – bei meinen Kursen geht es darum einen neuen Stil und seine Kultur kennenzulernen, um Gemeinschaft und Austausch, darum, dass sich alle wohlfühlen und Spaß miteinander haben.“, sagt Willie.

Josiah K.W. zählt in der Afrobeats Tanzszene Ghanas zu einem der bekanntesten Tänzer und hat dort bereits für viele verschiedene Tanzgruppen und Ensembles choreographiert. Sein spezifischer Afro-Stil vermittelt dabei verschiedene Tanzformen und –stile Ghanas, wie z.B. Azonto. „Kultur über Tanz zu erfahren und neu kennenzulernen, Spaß zu haben und neues Körper und Selbstbewusstsein zu entdecken“ sind ihm im Kurs besonders wichtig. „Ob du ein Anfänger oder Profi bist, hab einfach Spaß!“ – so das Motto.

Wilhelmina "Willie" Stark is one of the best house dancers in France. She choreographs shows all over Europe and has participated in many battles, including Juste Debout Paris and Summer Dance Forever. Since 2014, Willie has shared her passion for house dance and Afro beats as a teacher at tanzhaus nrw. "Whether you are a beginner or a professional, my classes are about learning a new style and culture, about community and sharing, about everyone feeling comfortable and having fun together," says Willie.

Yeliz Pazar is a dancer and choreographer. She is founder of nutrospektif dance collective (2012) who were tanzhaus nrw Factory Artists in 2020. The work is focussed on making hip hop culture, breaking, house dance, popping, locking and waacking more visible on stage to explore new creative approaches in dialogue with the contemporary dance landscape. Choreographic works include „Kinder der Nacht“ Schauspiel Köln, „Get Together“ Opera Cologne and „NUTRO 10 – a neutroperspective“ at tanzhaus nrw. In collaboration with Bahar Gökten as part of the collective and tanzhaus nrw they curated the festival „Moving Concrete,“ „ocean notion“ and „the weirdness is consistent“ were choreographed as a coproduction with „Step by Step“ Ballett am Rhein and tanzhaus nrw. Yeliz is a first generation waacking dancer in Germany and organized „THE WAACK OFF“ at tanzhaus nrw, the first festival of its kind with several internationally renowned guests.