Filipe Portugal

Choreographer

Choreographer Filipe Portugal danced as a soloist and principal dancer with Ballett Zürich under the direction of Heinz Spoerli and Christian Spuck from 2005-2020.

Filipe Portugal received his dance training in Lisbon at the National Conservatory of Portugal. After graduating, he was a member of the National Ballet of Portugal and Ballet Zürich. During his career in both companies he danced several principal and soloist roles in classical and contemporary ballet works by the most renowned choreographers among others:

Mats Ek, Hans van Manen, Heinz Spoerli, William Forsythe, Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, Marco Goecke, Christel Pite, Edward Clug, Martin Schläpfer, Christian Spuck, Michael Corder, Ted Brandsen, Kevin O’Day, Jan Linkens, Vasco Wellenkamp, Cayetano Soto, Rui Lopes Graça, David Fielding.

Salomé Martins

Choreografie-Assistentin

Salomé Martins was born in Setúbal/Portugal, where she began and completed her professional dance education at the Contemporary Dance Academy.

After her first professional engagement in Portugal, followed an international career through several theatres and companies in Germany, France and Switzerland, such as Ballet Theater Munich(DE), Ballet National de Marseille (FR), and Tanz Luzerner Theater (CH), where she remained for 7 seasons, as a soloist dancer, under the artistic direction of Kathleen Mcnurney, ended her stage career in 2017. Soon she became a full time Ballet and Contemporary teacher, at ‘BallettStadt‘ in Luzern until recently. In June 2022 Salomé Martins received a Masters Degree in Teaching and Coaching Dance Professionals, from the Zurich University of the Arts, where she still teaches as a guest for the bachelor program BA Contemporary Dance, amongst other institutions.

As of 2023 Salomé Martins is the choreographic assistant for the production ‘Heimlich seufzen die Winde‘ (Festival Tanz & Kunst Königsfelden), and is the coordinator of the Rezidenzzentrum tanz+ under the association of Tanz & Kunst Königsfelden.

Dominic Harrison

Dancer

The Englishman most recently danced with the National Ballet of Ireland, Royal Ballet of Flanders and Mainfranken Theater Würzburg.

From 2014 to 2018, Dominic Harrison was engaged by Ballet Vorpommern. He also appeared in the film Ballet Átha Cliath by Howard Jones. Previously, he demonstrated his talent at Northern Ballet and Scottish Ballet. He completed his training at the Central School of Ballet in London.

Claudio Costantino

Dancer

The Italian began his dance training at the Maison d'Art in Catanzaro and continued it in Florence at the Balletto di Toscana. Claudio Costantino has danced choreographies by Johan Inger, Jiri Kylian, Ohad Naharin, Nacho Duato, Stephan Toss, Rami Be'er, Fabrizio Monteverde, Christopher Bruce, Jorma Elo, Yuko Mori and Shumpei Nemoto. He has been working as a freelance artist since 2014.

He worked at Ballett Basel under the artistic direction of Richard Wherlock until 2012 and received an engagement at Theater Regensburg. From 2004 to 2008 he thrilled audiences with the company Junior Balletto di Toscana.

Eleanor Freeman

Dancer

The Australian was most recently at the Ballet am Rhein in Düsseldorf and thrilled the audience by dancing to choreographies by Hans van Manen, Jerome Robbins, Martin Schläpfer, Martin Chaix and Remus Şucheană.

For the 2016/17 season she was part of the ensemble of the Hanover State Opera. In 2012 she was promoted to regular dancer and danced in various choreographies, for example under Nils Christe. She began her career in 2011 with Queensland Ballet under Ballet Director Li Cunxin as a trainee after completing her training at the Victorian College of Arts.

Sebastien Kapps

Dancer

Sebastien trained at London Contemporary Dance School, Northern School of Contemporary Dance and Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance.
After graduating Sebastien joined Balletto Teatro di Torino in Italy, and has since been working freelance across the UK and Europe, working on projects with companies and choreographers including Walk Tanz Theater, Blanca Li, Tim Casson, Luca Silvestrini’s Protein, Richard Alston Dance Company, Burberry, Holly Blakey, Lizzi Kew-Ross, Jamaal Burkmaar and John Ross.
As well as theatre work he has worked on film projects, including acting in works by acclaimed British director Peter Strickland, and on several dance-film projects.

Valentina Pedica

Dancer

Valentina Pedica, born in Fabriano, Italy, studied dance at the IDA Ballet Academy in Ravenna and completed her ballet and contemporary studies in Madrid at the Real Conservatorio Profesional de Danza Mariemma. She has been a dancer with Dantzaz Konpainia since 2013 and has worked with renowned choreographers such as Itzik Galili, Lukas Timulak and Jacek Przybylowicz. Further engagements already took her to Switzerland in 2015 for the Tanz & Kunst Königsfelden production "SIBIL.LA" and again in 2019 for "IKARUS, stirb oder flieg" as well as to Madrid for the Elephant in the Black Box Company.

After master studies all over Europe, she became a member of Celli Contemporary Ballet in Rome in 2012. In 2013 Valentina won 1st prize at the Spoleo International Dance Competition. In the dance film "Motion Games" by Lucas van Woerkum and Ruben Van Leer (NL) she performs in the choreography by Lukas Timulak (Nederlands Dans Theater).

Clara Thierry

Tänzerin

Clara Thierry completed her dance studies at the Conservatoire Boulogne - Billancourt (F) and at the Ecole-Atelier Rudra Béjart (CH). She is currently completing her Master's degree at the ZHdK in Zurich. She had engagements at the Cinevox Junior Company (CH) and the Mainfranken Theater Würzburg (D). She danced in choreographies by Ihsan Rustem, Tiago Manquinho, Henrietta Horn, Dominique Dumais, Tarek Assam, James Wilton, Kevin O'day and works as a freelance dancer.

Mariana Romão

Dancer

Mariana Romão completed her dance studies at the National Conservatory Dance School in Lisbon. This was followed by engagements with the Cinevox Junior Company (CH), In-Tranz-Yt (PT) and Sublime Dance Company (PT). She danced in choreographies by Martin Chaix and Franz Brodmann. She received awards for best contemporary soloist and 1st place contemporary soloist at the Oporto International Dance Competition (PT).

Alessio Marchini

Dancer

Alessio Marchini completed his training at the Balletto di Toscana School in Florence. He received engagements with the Junior Company Balletto di Toscana, the Oniin Dance Company in Bologna and the Gauthier Dance Company at the Theaterhaus Stuttgart. Alessio Marchini has danced choreographies by Jiří Kylián, Marco Goecke, Hans van Manen, Ohad Naharin, Hofesh Shechter, Mauro Bigonzetti, Eduard Clug, Cayetano Soto, Andonis Foniadakis, Nacho Duato and Nadav Zelner and is now a freelance dancer.

Sara Pennella

Dancer

Italian dancer Sara Pennella graduated from the Balletto di Toscana in Florence in 2009 and went on to dance with the Compagnia Giovanile Junior Balletto di Toscana and the Compagnia Giovane Balletto Mediterraneo. From 2012 to 2014 she was an ensemble member of the Oniin Dance Company and toured worldwide. As a freelance dancer, she worked in the following years with Samady Dance Company, Artemis Danza and already in 2015 and 2019 for Tanz & Kunst Königsfelden in SIBIL.LA and IKARUS. She has been a member of the performing arts company NoGravity since 2018.

Laida Alberdi

Violin

Laida Alberdi was born in San Sebastián and received her first violin lessons at the age of three with A.M. Sebastián. She studied in Irún with R. Acella and later at the "Conservatorio Superior de Música Pablo Sarasate" in Pamplona, where she graduated with distinction from the "Título Superior de Violín" in 2002. Laida Alberdi has lived in Switzerland for 17 years.

Between 2003-2005 she studied in Madrid with Yuri Volguin and Zakhar Bron. In 2005 she moved to Switzerland and prepared for the concert diploma (Master of Performance - Concert) at the Zurich Conservatory with Robert Zimansky, graduating with distinction in June 2010.

In 2014 she received the diploma "Advanced Studies - Instrumental Pedagogy" from the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts. She then completed the course "Advanced Studies - Orchestra Conducting" at the Bern University of the Arts with Florian Ziemen in 2019.

Laida Alberdi completed master classes with: Z. Bron, A. Zifra, D. Zafer, V. Manoogian, E.H. Asiáin, Y. Volguin, V. Pikaisen and B. Doll and participated in the following festivals:

• Quincena Musical San Sebastián
• Festival de Rostropovich in Burdeos
• Lucerne Festival in Lucerne
• Festival Moderne Musik in Boswil

Mihai Ilea

Violin

Born in Bucharest, Mihai Ilea trained as a violinist in Bucharest, Brasov, La Chaux-de-Fonds, Neuchâtel and Lucerne (soloist diploma). He has a wealth of experience in orchestral playing with the Basel Symphony Orchestra and the Argovia Philharmonic, among others. As a youngster, he was a finalist several times at the "International Jeunesses Musicales de Bucharest".

Lina Karam Dor Abadi

Viola

Lina Karam Dor Abadi was born in Tehran, Iran. In 2007, she received a place at the Musikhochschule Zürich. She successfully completed her Master of Arts in Music Education in the class of Christoph Schiller in 2012, winning an award.

She then began her second Master's degree in Elementary Music Education at the Zurich University of Music. She attended master classes with Detlef Hahn, Mikhail Mouller and Karen Opgenorth at the Zurich Opera House and with Pierre-Henri Xuereb at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique in Paris. Her busy concert schedule as a chamber musician has taken her to various concert halls in Germany, France, Iran, Holland, Austria and Switzerland. She currently plays in various orchestras in Switzerland. Since 2014 she has been teaching in the Zurich Youth Orchestra of "Superar Suisse".

Vera Pritchina

Cello

Vera was born into a Moscow family of musicians. She began her musical education as a child at the Dunaevskii Children's Music School in Moscow. In 2007 she completed her preliminary studies at the Moscow State Music College for Musical Interpretation with Natalia Grishina. She then studied at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory with Kyrill Rodin and at the Zurich University of the Arts with Proefessor Orfeo Mandozzi. She participated in numerous festivals and played in ensembles in Russia and Europe.

Marko Hristoskov

Double Bass

Marko Hristoskov was born in Bulgaria and received his first classical music education in double bass at the National Music School in Sofia. After his Bachelor's degree in Classical Double Bass at the University of the Arts "Codarts" in Rotterdam, he completed his Master's degree in Performance at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts with Prof. Bozo Paradzik and Doz. Dieter Lange.

Subsequently he obtained a Master's degree in education, also at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts. Several engagements in various Swiss orchestras, including the Biel Solothurn Symphony Orchestra, Camerata Schweiz, Zug Sinfonietta, Zurich Chamber Philharmonic, Charts Chamber Artists and Zurich Symphony Orchestra.

Marta Rosa

Singer

Marta Rosa was born in 1991 and is a Portuguese fado singer from Alverca do Ribatejo.

Her musical training began at the age of 10, and as she showed a natural inclination for singing at an early age, she made her debut in 2003. In 2004, at the age of 13, she won the first price (Junior) at the 'Grande Noite do Fado de Lisboa' competition at the São Luiz Teatro Municipal, a moment that marked the beginning of her career as a fado singer.

In 2019, she won the first prize in the 'O Meu Fado' competition and records her EP 'Entretanto', which was released on all Universal Music Portugal digital platforms in 2020. In the same year, she became founder and member of the trio 'As Mariquinhas', an all-female fado group. Their appearance alone had an impact, challenging the standards of a professional circle of musicians that is still almost exclusively male.

Togehter with guitar players António Duarte Martins and Diogo Castro Ferreira – both from Lisbon as well – you will see and hear her in our latest production.