Susanne Bentley NZ/BE

Susanne Bentley is a contemporary dancer, improvisor, teacher, coach and choreographer. She has been working with others and on her own projects in New Zealand and Europe since 1996. In NZ she worked with companies such as Touch Compass, Opera NZ and Weta Productions (Peter Jackson- film), and was a founding member of Curve Dance Collective. In 2000 she was a danceWEB scholarship holder at ImPulsTanz (Vienna). Since then she has performed with companies such as Superamas, Cie. Fabienne Berger, Les Ballets C de la B, Maria Clara Villa Lobos, Poni, Bal Moderne a.o.She has created her own works, often solo, since 1994, either choreographed or improvised. From 2002 – 2009 she made music and performances with electronic musician Peter Van Hoesen as Bent Object. She is also a founding member of SoloConversations Dance Collective, performing improvised pieces since 2007. She established the non-profit organisation Expansive Being in 2012, dedicated to encouraging, supporting and promoting artistic expression in all its forms.Susanne teaches contemporary dance and performance improvisation for companies, universities, schools and studios such as: Ultima Vez, Charleroi Danses, Danscentrum Jette (Brussels), Tanzquartier & ImPulsTanz (Vienna), Tanzfabrik & Marameo (Berlin), Isadora Festival (Krasnoyarsk, Siberia), Artesis Conservatory (Antwerp), Fontys Academy (Tilburg), University of Waikato & Otago University (NZ). She also taught pole dance for Sarahcademy 2013-17 and was an organiser, choreographer and presenter for Pole Fusion Festival (artistic pole).