As we are currently getting ready for the second summer of our intensive for choreographers, called Artistic Business Lab, in Paris, we are taking a second to look back on what has become of our choreographers from last year. Today we asked Ioanna what her life is like.
Credit: Miguel Ângelo Afonso
Can you introduce yourself and your work as a choreographer?
My name is Ioanna Toliou. I am from Greece and I am a professional dance teacher. Apart from teaching I am passionate about creation and choreography. The last three years I have been primarily busy with creating pieces for festivals in Athens. My interest in the subject of my pieces is specifically human feeling and body movement in relation to space.
Do you have any news to share?
At this moment I am following a choreography course in Porto, Portugal. It is a 6 months intensive course in interpretation and choreography; and for the next months, my next project will be created and shown in Porto. I hope to see you there!
You attended our summer intensive last year, can you tell us more about the challenges you faced while training and what it brought you?
The Business Lab for Choreographers, as it was called last year, gave me the opportunity to discover myself and my skills and expose myself further. I gained knowledge not only through creating a piece, but also through learning topics that were absolutely unknown for me. The challenge for me was to meet people from all around the world and collaborate while also learning from them and their past knowledge and experience. I had the chance to meet people with a passion in dance, art, and a vision to share their love and insight from different countries. That gave me hope and willing to keep on going to fulfill my goals. Additionally the course was a useful tool to start organizing and establishing my projects and ideas.
What are your next projects, your next challenge?
My next projects will be presenting in Porto and my next challenge is to find permanent partners to establish my own dance company.
Want to discover Ioanna work and keep in touch? You can check her instagram @ioannatol