ABOUT US
COMPANY STEVE was founded in 2020 in Berlin by the dancer/choreographer Verena Steffen.
Having worked nationally and internationally over several years, Verena Steffen decided to form a Contemporary Dance Company with the dancers/performers of her last DanceTheater piece DANCE LITTLE SPARROW that she developed together with the Berlin-based choreographer Luisa Winterfeld in 2019.
Company STEVE focuses on Dance and Choreography as an art form. Mostly packed into a real storyline, with the use of mixed media and versatile props, thus easily accessible by the audience, Verena Steffen leads the choreography into abstraction and leaves the spectator freedom for his or her own interpretations. Inner and outer conflicts of the characters are presented, as well as their processing mechanisms and peculiarities.
As a starting point of every piece there is always a story, an inner impulse, a feeling, an image or a certain event which is transformed into movement and gives the audience an artistic view of what is happening around and inside them.
In the choreographic process, Verena Steffen actively involves the dancers and their subconscious and intuitions. The subconscious, the greatest source of knowledge, where everything is stored, small nuances, wiser than the mind and infinitely multifaceted, is her greatest tool to explore and create new artistic approaches.
"When I start to create, I don't know what I'm doing. From an idea, something simply emerges. Only when the piece is finished do I discover the logical connections, the stories and the intentions behind each individual character. So in the creative process I let the subconscious consciously rule over my mind to discover a deeper and complex truth.”
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Having worked nationally and internationally over several years, Verena Steffen decided to form a Contemporary Dance Company with the dancers/performers of her last DanceTheater piece DANCE LITTLE SPARROW that she developed together with the Berlin-based choreographer Luisa Winterfeld in 2019.
Company STEVE focuses on Dance and Choreography as an art form. Mostly packed into a real storyline, with the use of mixed media and versatile props, thus easily accessible by the audience, Verena Steffen leads the choreography into abstraction and leaves the spectator freedom for his or her own interpretations. Inner and outer conflicts of the characters are presented, as well as their processing mechanisms and peculiarities.
As a starting point of every piece there is always a story, an inner impulse, a feeling, an image or a certain event which is transformed into movement and gives the audience an artistic view of what is happening around and inside them.
In the choreographic process, Verena Steffen actively involves the dancers and their subconscious and intuitions. The subconscious, the greatest source of knowledge, where everything is stored, small nuances, wiser than the mind and infinitely multifaceted, is her greatest tool to explore and create new artistic approaches.
"When I start to create, I don't know what I'm doing. From an idea, something simply emerges. Only when the piece is finished do I discover the logical connections, the stories and the intentions behind each individual character. So in the creative process I let the subconscious consciously rule over my mind to discover a deeper and complex truth.”
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ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
VERENA STEFFEN (DE)
Verena Steffen completed her dance education at Tammy Allen Dance Academy in the USA and at Iwanson Internationale Schule für zeitgenössischen Tanz in Munich. Among others, she has danced for Cinevox Junior Company, Company Raumflucht and Company urbanReflects and has been on stage at Gasteig in Munich and at Festspielhaus Baden-Baden. She has toured through France for the Theater Festival in Avignon with the Company Cie.Se7en SiStars. During the seasons 2014 and 2015 she has worked at Bad Hersfelder Festspiele as an assistant Choreographer and has been engaged as a dancer and choreographer in the production of the dance theater piece B.R.O.T. under the direction of Phillipe Tibbal in Berlin. Her own choreographies, such as the dance art project REALITY CHECK have been shown in various theaters in Germany and Switzerland.
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Verena Steffen completed her dance education at Tammy Allen Dance Academy in the USA and at Iwanson Internationale Schule für zeitgenössischen Tanz in Munich. Among others, she has danced for Cinevox Junior Company, Company Raumflucht and Company urbanReflects and has been on stage at Gasteig in Munich and at Festspielhaus Baden-Baden. She has toured through France for the Theater Festival in Avignon with the Company Cie.Se7en SiStars. During the seasons 2014 and 2015 she has worked at Bad Hersfelder Festspiele as an assistant Choreographer and has been engaged as a dancer and choreographer in the production of the dance theater piece B.R.O.T. under the direction of Phillipe Tibbal in Berlin. Her own choreographies, such as the dance art project REALITY CHECK have been shown in various theaters in Germany and Switzerland.
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DANCERS/PERFORMERS
BIANCA DAKLI (IT)
Bianca studied ballet at the National Dance Academy of Rome and got a degree with honours in Contemporary Dance at The Place (London Contemporary Dance School) with a specialization in improvisation into performance. She then moved to Sicily for an apprenticeship with Roberto Zappala and the Compagnia Petranura Danza before taking a masterclass with Jan Fabre, learning new sides of performing arts. As a freelance dancer based in Berlin, she performed at Bad Hersfelder Festspiele, in the dance art project 'Reality Check' and Kollektiv Anderer Tanz Würzburg. She did various Solo performances in art galleries, collaborating with the German painter Sabina Grzimek and participated in music collaborations, exhibitions and art videos. Alongside being a performer, Bianca is also a certified massage therapist. |
LAURA GIUNTOLI (IT)
Laura began her studies in ballet and modern dance at the “Pontedera Danza” School in Italy, where she graduated in both categories. She attended the “Modem-Scenario Pubblico” intensive studies guided by Roberto Zappala, thanks to which she specialised in contemporay dance. Laura has been working as a freelance dancer in several dance projects throught Europe: “Bodies in Urban Space” directed by Willi Dorner in Eindhoven, “Don Quijote” directed by Tobias Bungter and Laura Quarg for the Bad Hersfeld Festpiele, “Exploring Visual” and “Body Play” in Berlin with the coreographer Chaim Gebber/Open Scene, “The Life of Fine Lines” and “Fluid Horizons” choreographed by Niels Weijer, in Berlin. Since 2015 Laura works with InCorpo/Raffaella Galdi in research and performative projects and is part of Jannis Polyzos/Mundart dance company since 2018. Laura is actively working at Deutsche Oper and at Staatsoper in Berlin. |
MARIA GORBUNOVA (EST)
Maria is a native of Tallinn, Estonia. She graduated from a Tallinna Tantsuakadeemia in Estonia at the age of 16. Alongside dancing, she also successfully finished LA Klaverikool with a major in a Classical Piano. After receiving her Bachelor Degree in Dance and Anatomy from LeSoCo (London, UK), she moved to Budapest, Hungary, where she joined Budapest Dance Theater. She continues to work as a freelance dancer and a dance teacher till now. "The thing that triggers me the most in any form of art lies in reaching and surpassing the limits of my own body and mind in a range of different styles and techniques. " |
SINJA VÖLL (DE)
Sinja is working as a contempory dancer, choreographer and teacher, based in Berlin. After receiving her Bachelor Degree in Contemporary Dance from "Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln" she worked with choreographers such as Ted Stoffer, Georg Reischl, Sarah Vella and "Kollektiv Anderer Tanz Würzburg". She created her own choreographies as a member and founder of the "white.spot.kollektiv". Since 2016 she is performing the shadow theater piece "Der standhafte Zinnsoldat" of Stefan Wey Kompagnie in different theaters in Germany, Switzerland, France and Luxembourg. Lately she was seen in a project of C-Company led by Jan Peter Uhr in an interdisciplinary dance installation at Uferstudios Berlin. She is a certified teacher for Vinyasa and Yin Yoga. https://sinjavoell.wordpress.com/ |
MUSICIAN/COMPOSER
MORITZ MENTZEL
PUBLIC RELATIONS/ SOCIAL MEDIA
MARIA GORBUNOVA, SINJA VÖLL
WEBSITE
MARIA GORBUNOVA
