Eleni Papaioannou is a freelance dance teacher, performer and choreographer specialising in contemporary dance, physical theatre, improvisation and play therapy.
Eleni was born in Athens in 1993 where she began her dance training. In 2014 she completed her undergraduate studies at London Contemporary Dance School and she has since worked professionally with various choreographers and artists such as Elena Antoniou, Mariela Nestora, Luca Silvestrini (Protein Dance), Joanna Kalm, Seke Chimutengwende Livia Rita, Alexis Blake, Sophie Nuezel and Marie Forbes, Anders Duckworth and Daniel Persson.
She has attended various workshops around contemporary dance, performing arts, improvisation and choreography. She has been taught by prestigious teachers such as David Zambrano, Edivaldo Ernesto, Bruno Caverna, Peter Savel, Rick Nodine, Lauren Potter and Sue MacLennan etc. and she has also touched upon other dance styles such as hip hop, Greek folklore dances, passinho (brazilian dance), kathak (indian dance) and capoeira.
In 2014 Eleni found A(r)CT with the idea that dance and every art form should serve as a medium for sociopolitical change. She has since created and presented work for many festivals over Greece , Mexico and the UK, such as a full production at Kinitiras studios (October 2017), a solo piece at the International Festival of Contemporary Dance in Mexico City, and other pieces at Rabbitlab 2.0 Festival, Theatre PK: 1st Platform of Contemporary Dance (Athens), Resolution 2016 and Fringe Shorts 2015 at The Place (London), Athens Video Dance Project Festival 2016 (Athens), Summer Streets 2015 in Regents Street (London), Friday League at Theatre Delicatessen (London), Motus Festival (Milton Keynes), 2nd Scratch Festival (Athens), Emerging Choreographers Platform 2015 at Broadway Theatre (London).
A(r)CT aims to create accessible, interactive art by combining dance, text, music and visual arts. Through our works we usually aim to communicate a meaning related to our everyday life, our social and human existence and the contemporary world. We want people to be able to engage with what they see and respond to it actively.
Eleni Papaioannou 