Jana Bitterová

Jana Bitterova is a choreographer, improviser, creative movement facilitator and dance theorist.

Originally from Prague, she became a traveling artist working worldwide. She has been based in Cornwall, UK (assisting and teaching at Falmouth University), in Quimper, France (assistant in choreographic structure T.E.E.M.), in Oostende, Belgium (in educational department for Mu.ZEE), in Bratislava, Slovakia (student of Academy of Performing Arts) and she regularly returns to her homeland, the Czech Republic, to run various projects and deliver workshops.

As a choreographer and performer, she creates solo performances and participates in interdisciplinary projects. She collaborates with digital and visual artist Ian Biscoe in productions of multimedia projects connecting dance and digital technologies.

One of her main interests lies in Contact improvisation, facilitating workshops and jams across Europe. She enjoys introducing dance to people of all levels of experience and age (e.g. choreographic projects in primary schools organised by SE.S.TA.).

Jana studied for her Masters degree in Pedagogy of Contemporary Dance at the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava, Slovakia, under Anna Sedlačková (a dance and Body-Mind Centering Practitioner) and Marta Poláková (a Laban Movement Analyst). She obtained her BA degree in Dance Research at Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. She continued her education focusing on the exploration of the moving body and somatic techniques, being a student of Milan Kozánek and Zuna Kozánková (Artyci Dance Company). She had an opportunity to meet in studios personalities of postmodern dance and improvisation such as Nancy Stark Smith, Lisa Nelson, Daniel Lepkoff, Ruth Zaporah, Julyen Hamilton, Stephanie Skura, K. J. Holmes, Malcolm Manning, Frey Faust and others. Their propositions are important sources of inspiration for her work.

Jana writes reviews and reports about contemporary dance. Apart from Taneční aktuality she published in Pam pam and Tempo.

Jana's website: www.movementtouch.com