Students, autumn semester 2016

  • I am 19 and come from Italy. I started dancing as a child and it soon became my passion. Dancing has taught me the importance and value of responsibility and discipline. A few years ago, it became clear to me that my great passion could also become my profession. Therefore, I decided to study contemporary dance here at ZHdK so that I could learn the requirements needed to take that leap into the professional world.

    Elena Ballestracci. Photo: Caroline Minjolle

  • My name is Renato and I come from Naples. I started dancing when I was six and decided to totally dedicate myself to dance when I was 15. I want to develop my artistic personality as well as keep improving on my dance technique during my studies at Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK).

  • Hello. I am 18 years old and I was born in Italy.I started dancing when I was a child and when I was 13, I decided I wanted to be a dancer, which is why I then went to study at the École Supérieure de danse de Cannes de Rosella Hightower dance school. I came to Zurich to achieve my goal of becoming a professional stage dancer. I feel the BA in Contemporary Dance is the best way to continue working on my body and my artistic development with other talented dance students. For me, dance is a unique art form where I can express myself as an artist.

    Stella Covi. Photo: Caroline Minjolle

  • My name is Irina and I come from Genoa in Italy. I am passionate about dancing. I have been taking dancing lessons since I was nine. During this time, I have had the opportunity to take part in a number of competitions and workshops and to train with exceptional teachers from all over the world. I chose the BA in Contemporary Dance course at ZHdK because I think working with internationally renowned professionals can help me become a professional dancer. I want to develop my dance skills and my personality here.

    Irene D'Agostino. Foto: Caroline Minjolle

  • My name is Justine and I come from Valais, where I studied ballet and contemporary dance at the Valais Cantonal Conservatoire. At ZHdK, I have the opportunity to develop my dance skills physically as well as theoretically and analytically. Becoming a professional dancer is my dream and I believe that ZHdK will support me in my artistic and personal development.

    Justine Delafontaine. Photo: Caroline Minjolle

  • Hello, my name is Pauline and I come from France. After studying dance at the Roselle Hightower School in Cannes for eight years, I came to Zurich because I knew that special attention is given to diversity in contemporary dance here. This means I can meet open-minded lecturers and a huge variety of choreographers at one university.

    Pauline Dulauroy. Photo: Caroline Minjolle

  • I am 18 and I come from Salerno in Italy. I have wanted to study dance at a renowned university since I was a child. Now, after so many years of preparation, I can fulfil my wish at ZHdK. I am proud to have reached the first big milestone on the route to becoming a professional dancer. While I am here, I would like to get to know my limits and hone my skills so that I can pursue my dream career. I am totally convinced that this training will provide me with the necessary skills.

    Angela Guaccio. Photo: Caroline Minjolle

  • I started dancing at the National Conservatory of Music and Dance of Strasbourg, where I learned both ballet and contemporary dance.Most recently, I spent seven years at the ESDC Rosella Hightower dance school in Cannes. I want to focus on contemporary dance because I am fairly shy and it enables me to express myself well. I want to be a choreographer. But first of all, I want to and need to gain dance experience in a diverse repertoire; ZHdK can offer me this.

    Marine Henry. Photo: Caroline Minjolle

  • I grew up in Arbon, Switzerland. I gained my qualifications to study for the Bachelor of Arts in Contemporary Dance at various private schools in East Switzerland and during my basic training in stage dance at the Zurich Dance and Theatre School (ZTTS). I attended dance classes in a variety of dance styles and techniques. I am really looking forward to my time at ZHdK. I want to bring out the best in me during my three years there. When I have finished my studies, I want to be ready to work on the stage as a professional dancer.

    Neil Höhener. Photo: Caroline Minjolle

  • I am 18 years old and come from Hamburg in Germany. When I was eight, I was extremely active in competitive gymnastics and learned ballet on the side. However, I then switched to the discipline of dance at a private ballet school in 2014 and began preparatory training for stage dancing at the Essen-Werden grammar school. I am delighted that I can now study at ZHdK so that I can develop and enhance my dance skills and technique. Afterwards, I would like to dance on a lot of stages, both large and small. The main thing is that I will be able to engage in what I am passionate about and use my body to express myself.

    Miriam Kaya. Photo: Caroline Minjolle

  • Hello, my name is Andrea. I am 19 and I come from Naples in Italy. I started my dance training there at the “movimento danza” School of Dance and last year I studied at the Associazione Europea Danza (AED) dance school in Livorno. I love contemporary dance because I like its dynamics, its versatility and I like using the space to move around a lot. I am at ZHdK to work on myself and the quality of my movement and dance technique so that I can become a professional stage dancer.

    Andrea Landolfi. Photo: Caroline Minjolle

  • I am 19 and I come from Salerno in Italy. I studied at the “Liceo coreutico Alfano Primo” there and worked with the “Borderline Danza” company. Last May, I auditioned for the BA in Contemporary Dance. I think this place offers me the opportunity to prepare my personality and my skills as a dancer for a career as a professional dancer.

    Francesco Moriello. Photo: Caroline Minjolle

  • I am 19 years old and I come from Bari, Italy. I have been dancing there since I was three years old. Dance is my passion and my future, because I think it is one of the most powerful means of expression. I am very grateful to be able to develop my skills and knowledge here at the ZHdK. We are being taugth a great variety of movement techniques and have the opportunity to work with renowned choreographers.

  • My name is Luka. I am 20 and I come from Slovenia. Why am I here? I want to fulfil my dreams. Before I came to Zurich, I was studying at the Contemporary Dance School in Ljubljana. While I am here, I would like to develop my way of thinking in terms of my body so that I am prepared for the professional dance scene.

    Luka Ostrez. Photo: Caroline Minjolle

  • Hello, my name is Elena. I am 18 and I come from Italy. I took part in a preparatory programme, the Dance Intensive Programme (DIP) in Livorno, before I came to Zurich. I want to become a professional stage dancer, which is why I came to Zurich. The wide variety of lecturers and choreographers will help me to further strengthen my technique and to develop my artistic personality.

    Elena Paltracca. Photo: Caroline Minjolle

  • Hello, my name is Jasmin. I am 18 and I come from Florence. During the past two years, I studied on the DIP in Livorno. I enrolled on the BA in Contemporary Dance at ZHdK because I have heard a lot of good things about it and because the atmosphere at the Toni-Areal really inspires me. The people are really friendly and I always feel as if I’m surrounded by artists – and I don’t mean just dancers, I mean painters, musicians, filmmakers, graphic designers – in fact all forms of art.

    Jasmin Sisti. Photo: Caroline Minjolle

  • I am 20 and I live near Zurich. I completed my dance training at the Zurich Opera House Ballet School. At the same time, I completed a four-year commercial apprenticeship at the UNITED school of sports and Allianz Suisse. I am very grateful that I have been given the opportunity to study for the BA in Contemporary Dance at ZHdK. During the next three years, I expect to reach my limits and to surpass them. With this training, I will be prepared for whatever awaits me after these three years.

    Celina Speck. Photo: Caroline Minjolle

  • I was born and raised in Zurich. Since I was four years old, I have enjoyed spending my life dancing. When I was 12, I had the opportunity to go to a school specializing in arts and sport. This meant I could train for several hours every day. From this moment onwards, I knew that I could not imagine doing anything other than being on the stage and dancing. After those three years, I trained for another year at the Ballet Center Zurich, where I qualified to become a Russian ballet teacher at the age of 16. I then passed the entrance exam for the Höhere Fachschule für Zeitgenössischen und Urbanen Bühnentanz, a higher education college for contemporary and urban stage dance, and was accepted as part of the “provision for exceptional talent”. During the summer of 2016, I finished off this intensive and extremely instructive time by gaining a diploma (Higher Education College for Stage Dance). Now, I am really happy to have the opportunity to continue my development through the BA in Contemporary Dance and to gain experience working with lots of choreographers, teachers and new classmates. I am looking forward to moving a little closer to living the life of a dancer.

    Larissa Tritten. Photo: Caroline Minjolle