DK / EN

DK / EN

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Marina Mascarell

(She/her) Marina Mascarell is Artistic Director of Danish Dance Theatre. Marina is a well-established choreographer born in Oliva, Spain. Resident Choreographer at Korzo Theatre in The Hague between 2011-21, Associated Artist at Mercat de les Flors in Barcelona since 2018 and founder and artistic director of MEI(s) Foundation. Beside her independent work Marina has also been commissioned to create pieces by institutions such as Nederlands Dans Theater 1 and 2, GöteborgsOperans Danskompani, Biennale de la Danse of Lyon with Lyon Opera Ballet, Skånes Dansteater, Dance Forum Taipei among others. She collaborates as well with fellow artists in the fields of visual arts, film, music and theatre. Her work has been presented in The Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Spain, Italy, France, Greece, Taiwan, China, Korea, Brazil, Argentina and Chile. She has been recognized and awarded with several prizes during her career, such as BNG Excellent Dance Award 2015. PHOTO: Matevž Čebašek

DANCERS

JESSICA LYALL

(She/Her) For Jessica, dancing depicts play, purpose and possibility, and over the years she has been fascinated and motivated by the transformative potential of art and movement - literally and metaphorically, collectively and individually. In many ways, dancing has transformed Jessica’s life, taking her from one side of the world to the other, providing the opportunity to work with and learn from many inspiring people, and experience the cultural adventures of living in different countries. Born in Australia in 1990, Jessica began her education in Sydney/Gadigal, moving to London in 2007 to attend Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance. In 2010 Jessica graduated with a first class Bachelor of Arts, and she joined the National Dance Company of Spain in Madrid, where she worked for 6 years. She volunteered with refugees in Greece in 2016 before moving to Denmark to join Danish Dance Theatre. Since 2016, Jessica's journey continues here in Copenhagen, and she is currently undertaking a Master in Arts and Cultural Management.

MERETE HERSVIK

(She/Her) Born in Norway, where the harsh weather conditions and close connection to nature have built endurance and determination. The aspects of movement and dance that inspire her the most, are the constant new meeting points in which the work unfolds; new people, cultures, discussions, physical concepts, perspectives, constellations and challenges. Merete received her BA from Oslo National Academy of the Arts (KHiO) in 2012, a 200-hour Yoga TTC certificate in 2015, and is currently pursuing her MA in Arts and Cultural Management at Leuphana University. Merete has worked as a freelance dancer, with Carte Blanche (NO) and joined Danish Dance Theatre in 2016. During her career so far, she has worked with Ina Christel Johannessen, Marcos Morau, Sharon Eyal, Edhem Jesenković, Yossi Berg & Oded Graf, Rachel Tess, Roy Assaf, among others.

LUKAS HARTVIG-MØLLER

(He/Him) Lukas was first introduced to dance at 8 years old, at his suburban school on Amager, while attending a showing with the students of the Royal Danish Ballet touring around the country with the “Bournonville bus”. His elementary school teacher noticed his fascination and encouraged him to audition for the ballet school. Lucas graduated from the Royal Danish Ballet School and opted for a more contemporary route, attending the Palucca Hochule Für Tanz Dresden, after which he joined Kamea Dance Company in Israel. Spending 4 transformative years abroad he returned to Copenhagen and joined Danish Dance Theatre in 2016. Lukas enjoys getting his hands dirty, finding inspiration in visual arts, including painting, photography, and film/editing. He is driven by his curiosity and love for collective creative processes, melding the diverse realms of art with his passion for movement. Throughout his career, in companies and the freelance scene, Lukas has had the privilege of collaborating with a variety of choreographers and artists, such as Itzik Galili, Tina Tarpgaard, Roy Assaf, Marcos Morau, Sebastian Kloborg, Edhem Jesenković, librettist Krystian Lada, Krystian Ingmarson. “Moving and performing allows me to embark on a continuous journey of exploration and playfulness, embracing the growth of the roles of both performer and individual."

BRADLEY WALLER

(He/Him) Born in Sheffield, United Kingdom. Bradley started dancing at the age of 16, when he joined his sister at local dance classes. After training at Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance in London, where he graduated in 2013 with a 1st class honours degree, he joined the contemporary dance company BalletBoyz. Whilst there, Bradley worked with renowned choreographers such as Ivan Perez, Russel Maliphant, Javier De Frutos, Maxine Doyle & Xie Xin, before joining Danish Dance Theatre in 2019. “Dance as a whole is being a part of something much larger than myself, historically, politically, culturally, and that is a huge privilege. Movement is a universal language that can be understood and shared by everyone, regardless of background. To be a part of that and able to say, question or reflect on something by using dance is one of the best and only ways I’ve known how to fully say what I want to say.”

KRISTIN BJERKESTRAND

(She/Her) Kristin Furnes Bjerkestrand was born in Bergen, Norway. Her first memories of dance are evening sessions in the living room with her father to the grooves of D´Sound. To her, “dance” belongs to everyone and everything, and she loves observing not only her colleagues, but also the moving world around her. She sees creative processes as a means to decipher thoughts, feelings, sensations, experiences, and curiosities - and loves experiencing the intangible transform into visible reflections. She is constantly moved and inspired by the collective effort in the studio to question, create, and problem-solve, and often marvels at the thought of all the coincidences that brought exactly ‘this’ constellation of people together. To her, that´s magic. How the work is defined exactly by this melting pot of languages and thoughts – both physical and spoken. She started dancing at the age of seven at her local dance school, and at the age of 16 moved to Oslo to attend Oslo National Academy of the Arts (KhiO). After receiving her Bachelor degree in Classical ballet in 2011, she started working at Balletto Teatro di Torino in Italy under the direction of Matteo Levaggi. In 2016 she moved to Wiesbaden, Germany, to join the Hessisches Staatsballett. She came to Danish Dance Theatre in 2020 and is currently finishing her MA degree in Arts and Cultural Management at Leuphana University of Lüneburg. Over the years she has worked with Matteo Levaggi, Itzik Galili, Itamar Serussi, Bryan Arias, Sita Ostheimer, Alejandro Cerrudo, Jeroen Verbruggen, Ina Christel Johannesen, and Roy Assaf, among others.

LETICIA SILVA

(She/Her) Leticia is interested in a physical language that constantly questions forms and modes of creation and manages to empathize with the audience from a specific freedom and fluidity in movement. She also believes that dance has the ability to make us better human beings. It is a practice in which we can share, exchange and merge parts of who we are with our unique past of stories, heritage, culture and identity. Leticia is born in Habana, Cuba. She began her studies at the "Fernando Alonso" National Ballet School in Cuba, graduating as a dance-teacher, and later completing a degree in Dance Art Studies at the University of the Arts in 2019. Leticia has been a professional performer working for international companies such as the National Ballet of Cuba and Acosta Danza over the last thirteen years, developing her practice in classical ballet, modern, contemporary, and Afro-Cuban techniques. During her career she has performed works by choreographers such as Alicia Alonso, Carlos Acosta, Christopher Bruce, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Pontus Lidberg, Justin Peck, Goyo Montero, Juanjo Arques, August Bournonville, Kenneth MacMillan, George Balanchine, Jorge Crecis and Miguel Altunaga. In 2021 she moved to Spain where she became an independent dancer and she has been working mostly with Jorge Crecis leading Towards Vivencia workshops (performance presence for dancers). As a choreography assistant she was invited by Crecis to create the piece "24" for the Birmingham Royal Ballet. Since 2022 she is part of Danish Dance Theater. As an artist she is intrigued by the artist's experience before, during and after the performance, the ability to be present and fully live in real time. She pursues that presence and seeks to go beyond the limits we create for ourselves. Silva is passionate about the idea of awakening and transforming minds, freeing them through movement and full awareness of their actions.

YI SHAO

(She/Her) Yi-Shao is from Taiwan. Love and passion for movement brought her to dance at a very early age. In 2017, she joined the company Dance Forum Taipei, where she began to explore her own perspective on dance. Through a series of different works and collaborations, she got to question in what ways movement was able to also transform her. She is a curious and positive dancer who carries with her the questions, challenges, and ideas of the works she experiences. Her journey has been shaped by the discoveries every process brought along, being able to engage with new parts of herself and letting them influence the unknown. She has been deeply inspired by both her experiences in street dance battles and contemporary creations with renown choreographers like Toru Shimazaki, Iván Pérez and Marina Mascarell among others. Yi-Shao joined Danish Dance Theatre in 2023.

WOLF GOVAERTS

(They/Them) Transforming, deconstructing and reshaping the body and mind is what interests Wolf most when diving into research with a choreographer, collective or just by themselves. A great part of this comes from the experience as a queer artist, always looking to understand what connects, divides and confines us as humans. Born in Belgium in 1996, with two graphic designers as parents, they developed a passion for visual arts and were introduced to the art of dance at a very young age. Wolf started at the Ballet-en Dansschool Niké, went on to graduate from the Kunsthumaniora Brussel and moved to Amsterdam to study Modern Theatre Dance at the Academy of Theatre and Dance. After these studies, Wolf worked as a freelancer and joined projects with Ann Van den Broek, Simona Bertozzi, Iris Van Peppen and Makiko Ito among others. In 2018 Wolf became a part of the OFFProjects collective, led by Amos Ben-Tal, and worked with them up until their latest work Songs & Silences. Besides this, they taught contemporary dance and improvisation at the Kunsthumaniora Brussel for several years and creates their own choreographic work. Wolf have always been infatuated by the anatomy and behaviour of animals, imbedded in their way of moving, which is an element that Wolf will keep on exploring. Wolf joined DDT in 2023.

AMANCIO GONZALEZ

(He/Him) Amancio was born in Spain and began his dance training at the age of 20. He received lessons at Beitia in Spain and continued his training at the Center de Danse Rosella Hightower, Cannes. Since then, dance has taken him around the world, and he has danced with Scottish Ballet, NAPAC, Reflex, Rotterdamse Dansgroep, Scapino Ballet, Frankfurt Ballet, The Forsythe Company and Dance on Ensemble. Inquisitive and inspired by the boundless scope of dance as an art form, Amancia wants to continue to discover more and more through both teaching and dancing. Amancio joined DDT in 2023.

Carlos Luis Blanco Ramos

(He/Him) Carlos Luis is born in Pinar del Río, Cuba. He began his dance studies at the Raúl Sánchez García School of Art. In 2004, he continued his education at the Cuban National School of the Arts, specializing in Cuban contemporary dance, Afro-Cuban folkloric dance, and classical ballet. From 2007 to 2009, he danced with the companies Corpus, Spiritu, Alma and Rakatán. In 2009, he joined the prestigious Danza Contemporánea de Cuba, where he rose to the rank of principal dancer. During his time with the company, he toured extensively, performing works by renowned choreographers including Eduardo Rivero, Rafael Bonachela, George Céspedes, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Kenneth Kvarström, Jan Linkens, Itzik Galili, Norge Cedeño Raffo, Juan Kruz Diaz de Garai, and Julio César Iglesias. His tours included performances in Mexico, Columbia, USA as well as numerous countries in Europe. In 2015, Carlos Luis performed at the Royal Opera House, London in the ballet "Tocororo," choreographed by the acclaimed Cuban dancer Carlos Acosta. That same year, he was honored with the prestigious Ramiro Guerra Interpretation Award in Contemporary Dance by the Hermanos Saíz Association, an organization recognizing the young artistic and intellectual vanguard of Cuba. In 2016, Carlos Luis became a principal dancer with the newly formed Acosta Danza, under the direction of Carlos Acosta. With this company, he toured globally, performing works by renowned choreographers such as Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Goyo Montero, Justin Peck, Christopher Bruce, Saburo Teshigawara, Marianela Boan, Maria Rovira, Jorge Crecis, and Juliano Nunes. From 2020 to 2024, Carlos Luis danced with Ballet Nuremberg, under the artistic direction of Goyo Montero. During his time there, he performed works by choreographers such as Goyo Montero, Marco Goecke, Jacopo Godani, Edward Clug, Joseph Hernandez, Bryan Arias, Nacho Duato, Ohad Naharin, Hofesh Shechter, Johan Inger, and Mauro Bigonzetti. Since 2024 Carlos Luis is part of Danish Dance Theatre. “For me, dance is and has been the place where I feel both the most secure and challenged at the same time. Dance is my way of releasing my inner self without fear of being judged. It’s where I feel free to play with my creativity, where I can connect with my inner child and momentarily forget the present. Danza makes my life better.”

Nicky Daniels

(She/her) Growing up I was born into the studio. My mother owned a dance studio and she could not keep me out of the room. This is where I began to fall in love in my early developing of my craft. Dance for me has always been the heart. In order to move I have to feel first. Emotions as wide as the ocean and physical to the gut.  When I experience the mind in practice, I’m very much interested in the why. Why does something/someone pull or tug to the depth of my core? Why does a certain being transcend beyond the bone? I don’t have the answers, but this is what keeps me inspired toward a rainbow of possibilities. The search is what keeps me digging through the unknown, a certain element stored within all of us.  Recently I have unearthed and unlocked a part of my skin coming into my body as a trans woman. This has unveiled a deep connection and intersection to the source of my art. I have just finished dancing with Netherlands Dans Theater 2 for the last 4 years, and have learned so much with my time there. Now I am ready to move forward in my next chapter at Dansk Danseteater and I couldn’t be more excited. 

Lola Potiron

(She/Her) Lola was born in France and began her education at the Nantes Conservatoire, where she got introduced to improvisation by Rudolfo Araya. In 2018, she graduated, valedictorian, from the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris, where she danced Ohad Nahrin's solo Queens of Golub. She met Roy Assaf at the restaging of Girls, and especially Six Years Later, in connection with a ceremony in Japan. In 2020, Lola wrote her biography: The moment of microgravity, in which she examines the feeling of the non-gravity of movement with both a physical and a philosophical approach. She then lived in Grenoble for several years, where she got to know the choreographic work of Rachid Ouramdane at the Center Choréographique National de Grenoble. Lola has danced in several companies, e.g. La Guetteuse, Scalène, Balkis Moutashar and La Cavale. In May 2024 Lola started at Danish Dance Theatre. "Exploring one's dance is for me a way of questioning the connection to life. A mean of connecting to the present and to the possibilities it offers in our dialogue with gravity. To play with the unpredictable and the ardor of movement in an attempt to grasp a state of "out-of-body" .

ADMINISTRATION

TRINE RINDSIG LAURSEN 
COO & CFO

Mobile: 2462 7322
trine@danskdanseteater.dk

ANNE SOPHIE GERTZ 
Project Developer

Mobile: 20 60 29 24
annesophie@danskdanseteater.dk

PATRICIA SERON PAWLIK 
Rehearsal Director

Tlf.: +45 22 61 71 26
Mobil: + 45 28 49 24 20
patricia@danskdanseteater.dk

JULIE SCHLYTTER
Press & Marketing Manager

Tlf: + 45 42 17 01 97
julie@danskdanseteater.dk

RAPHAEL FRISENVÆNGE SOLHOLM 
Lighting Designer & Technical Director

Tlf.: +45 27 85 29 90
Mobil: + 45 26 84 42 68
Raphael@danskdanseteater.dk

PETER WILLIAM LARSEN
Producer

peterwilliam@danskdanseteater.dk

NATALIE SLOTH RICHTER
Project Manager (Maternity cover)

natalie@danskdanseteater.dk

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

THOMAS GOYA HERTZ, CEO at Stine Goya Studio (Chairman of the board)

KURT HELLES BARDELEBEN, Partner, Sirius Advokater

TOKE BRONI STRANDBY, Artistic Coordinator

KAREN TOFTEGAARD, CEO at WILDTOPIA by Karen Toftegaard ApS and International Producer and Head of Programme at CPH STAGE (Next Chairmanof the board)

KAREN HAUMANN, CEO at LÆR FOR LIVET

MERETE HERSVIK, Employee representative

VISITOR ADDRESS:

Danish Dance Theatre
c/o Operaen
Ekvipagemestervej 10
1438 København K

CVR NUMBER: 61 06 33 15

POSTAL ADDRESS:

Danish Dance Theatre
c/o Det Kongelige Teater
August Bournonvilles Passage 8
DK-1017 Copenhagen K
DENMARK

Phone. (+45) 35 39 87 87
Fax: (+45) 35 37 49 98

BOX OFFICE:

BILLETTEN:
www.billetten.dk
(+45) 33 15 10 12