i spent my early years in corfu, an island in greece.
in 2002, i completed an MA in Dance Theatre Studies (choreological studies, choreography and education) at the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in london.
since then i have been on a forever learning journey, with an abundance of mentors, in many different disciplines, cultures and philosophies
i have lived, taught, danced and studied in holland, spain, portugal, germany, greece, the ukraine, thailand, israel and else where.
i am the originator of ensoma, a combination of all my studies, research and working experience:
• dance and movement techniques including limon, axis syllabus, flying low, passing through, contact, yoga, improvisation, physical theatre, theatrical clowning, martial arts, acrobatics, athletics
• body/mind and therapeutic practices including pilates, t’ai chi ch’uan, alexander, feldenkrais, qiqong, voicing
• massage and bodywork techniques including the Ilan Lev method, thai massage, integrated craniosacral biodynamics, myofascial therapy
• various approaches to learning including trauma informed, embodied, transcontextual, democratic, agile, self-directed, re-wilding, additional needs and inclusive education
• somatic scientific approaches including neurobiological research, experiential anatomy, proprioceptive and breathing conditioning, compassionate inquiry, embodied psychology
• special care services including accompaniment in end-of-life care, care for people with terminal illness, neurological damage and degenerative neurological diseases
some of my many teachers and sources of inspiration are Amber Elizabeth Gray, Frey Faust, Julyen Hamilton, David Zambrano, Tew Bunnag, Nora Bateson, Kenzo Kusuda, Niskriya-Elena Kazantzidi, Gabor Maté, Eveline Kooren, Yaacov Hecht, my mother, my children and nature.
for the past 25 years i choreograph, dance and teach in educational, artistic and therapy programmes for children, adolescents and adults.
i work with people of all ages with and without conditions such as quadriplegia, autism, degenerative neurological diseases, myo-skeletal atrophy, injuries and more.
this work has formed my undying faith in the limitlessness and brilliance of human potential.
i am the single parent of two teenagers who, like all “minors” i have had the honor to be with, tirelessly remind me of a raw, uncompromising respect for human nature.
i collaborate with groups and individuals beyond dividing lines; cultural, academic, geographical, social, age, physical and mental; creating passage towards resilience for individuals and groups made vulnerable by social and/or economic marginalization.
i collaborate with musicians, doctors, acrobats, poets, teachers, therapists and schools.
my passions are: improvisation, instant composition and open scores, art not only for art’s sake, theatrical alchemy, re-integrating the arts of movement, sound and touch into life and learning and the evolution of our species.
my work and research focus on the effect that creativity and particularly the art of improvisation have on neurological development and social behavior.
the power of art to gently deconstruct repressive patterns without conflict and collapse is my driving force beyond dominant frames of what art is and what it is for.
i regularly travel to the sources of my inspiration in the areas of dance, education and healing.
since 2009 i direct the artistic, educational and cultural projects at casa lucia.
in 2017 i co-founded eudec greece, a regional chapter of the european community for democratic education and in 2019 education plus, the greek association for the support of alternative and emancipatory forms of education.
since 2017 i run spring academy an intergenerational and interdisciplinary learning community without borders.
i am dedicated to safeguarding environments where human development is allowed, encouraged and facilitated.