MARIA GORGIA

Maria Gorgia was born in Athens. She graduated with distinction from the State School of Dance (1992). In the same year, she was awarded the 3rd Prize at the Young Choreographers’ Competition for her work “To Those Who Dare Resisting Reality.” She presented the same piece at the “Young Choreographers’ Evening” at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture.

From 1993 to 1997, she continued her studies in London at the Greenwich Dance Agency and Independent Dance at Jerwood Space, where she specialized in Release Technique (studying with Gill Clark, Russell Maliphant, Steven Petronio, Scott Clark, and others), as well as in Improvisation, Feldenkrais, and Alexander techniques. At the same time, she attended Ballet, Limon, and Cunningham technique classes at The Place School, the Laban Center, and Danceworks. Between 1994 and 1996, she studied at the Laban Center for Movement and Dance on a scholarship from the State School of Dance. In 1996, she obtained her Master’s degree (MA) in Dance Studies, specializing in Choreography. With her company, Amalgama, she has choreographed a total of 26 works. She has collaborated with the group “Choreftes” in Greece, as well as with “X-tanztheater” in Hong Kong. She has taught Contemporary Dance, Choreography, and Improvisation at Deree – The American College of Greece from 1998 until 2009.

From 2005 to 2009, she taught Choreography, Dance Analysis, and Contemporary Dance at the Department of Theatre Studies at the University of the Peloponnese. In 2022, she was invited by the University of Madison in Wisconsin to teach Choreography during a one-week residency. She has been a member of the following organizations: the European Contact International Teachers Exchange (held in Athens in 2004), the International Theater Institute (ITI), and the International Network for Contemporary Performing Arts (IETM). From 1996 to 2006, she was an examiner on the Examination Board for the entrance and graduation exams of Private Professional Dance Schools under the supervision of the Ministry of Culture. Since 1998, she has been organizing Choreography and Improvisation workshops, continuing to the present day. She also served as a member of the Board of Directors of the State School of Dance from February to September 2019. Additionally, she has collaborated with theater directors, working as a movement coach for various productions. For example, in 2002, she collaborated with director Giorgos Gikapeppas on Edward Albee’s “Seascape,” and in 2008 with Stathis Livathinos on Friedrich Dürrenmatt’s “The Visit of the Old Lady”.