ANNA SANCHEZ
FOUNDER AND TEACHER
ROBERT RUSSELL
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR AND TEACHER
With a strong formation in classical, jazz and contemporary (Limon and Graham) dance, her style combines technique, expression and energy changes to achieve greater freedom through movement. In her work, she gives the same importance to a glance, a small gesture, a complicated turn, a great jump or a fall to the ground.
“I believe in the wealth of diversity and in the creativity of people. I like to work as a team and empower new ideas. ”
Director of the Varium Espai de Moviment dance school in Barcelona, since 1987.
Director of Anna Sanchez Companyia de Dansa from 1985 to 1990 and of the “Companyia Inconnexa” from 2002 to 2005.
Artistic director of the International Dance Festival "Dansa Sant Cugat" from 2000 to 2009.
She has worked with numerous European international dance workshops, teaching contemporary dance, as well as teaching contemporary dance didactics at the higher level of the INSTITUT DEL TEATRE in Barcelona and ESART, a private university of for the performing arts.
She has collaborated as a guest teacher in professional dance training schools such as EPSEDANSE (Montpellier), CAFEDANSE (Aix-en-Provence) and JAMES CARLÈS (Tolouse).
She has worked as a guest teacher and/or rehearsal director for the companies: S.OA.P. (Rui Horta, Fankfurt), METROS (Ramón Oller Barcelona), MARTA CARRASCO (Barcelona), TRÀNSIT (Maria Rovira, Barcelona), MAR GÓMEZ (Barcelona), NORRDANSE (Sweden) BALLET PRELJOCAJ (France) CESC GELABERT (Barcelona) and BRODAS BROS (Barcelona).
Her experience and expertise as a teacher was recognized by the French Ministry of Culture who gave her the possibility to teach at the official dance conservatories throughout the Country.
After training as a classical orchestral percussionist, choir and jazz singer, Robert discovers the world of theater by performing in various musicals.
At age 15, he discovers his true passion: dance. After intensive dance training at the Cornish Institute for the Arts in Seattle, he dances with various companies and festivals in the United States and Canada.
In 1992 he was invited to join the Geneva Ballet where he stayed for six years. In 1998 he started teaching and at the same time pursued studies in psychology.
Continuing his career as a dancer he participated in various Sinopia Danse Ensemble projects, performed in La Revue Genevoise 2003, and then in 2004 at the Königsfelden Tanzspiel festival in Brugg.
After a year and a half with the Cathy Sharp Dance Ensemble in Basel and 25 years of stage, he decided, in 2006, to devote himself to teaching.
Today, a beloved professor of classical and modern dance based in Barcelona, he is also responding to requests to participate in various dance projects.
THE PEDAGOGICAL TEAM
JUSTINE MAROUZE
CONTEMPORARY DANCE TEACHER
DIEGO SINNIGER
CONTEMPORARY DANCE TEACHER
After finishing her dance formation with Varium Espai de Moviment and Mondap'art, she is invited to join Fre3bodies as both dancer and assistant director.
She dances in several productions by choreographers such as Vero Cendoya, Pietro Marullo and Victoria Storgen. In 2019, she joins the In-motus company directed by Diego Sinniger.
Teacher at different international workshops: Voiron, Montpellier, Royan, Mallorca, Frankfurt, Munich. Co-director of the amateur youth Manama dance company.
A living movement marked as much by its sensuality and fluidity as by it's attacks and ruptures.
She takes great pleasure in creating a space without judgment where she can investigate individuality; a place to play with the textures of movement, challenging both body awareness and discover a surprising internal musicality.
He calls himself an artist without a label. He is passionate about any form of expression that deepens the sensitivity of the individual. He defines himself as a dancer and choreographer, developing his movement from a technique he calls muscular awareness.
"Every individual who shows and shares their reality to the world, experiences an artistic and inspiring state that can even be therapeutic, both for themselves and for the rest of the group".
MARTA RUIZ
ACROBATIC AND CONTEMPORARY DANCE TEACHER
ABEL HERNANDEZ
CONTEMPORARY DANCE TEACHER
From a young age connected with the world of acrobatics until she discovered contemporary dance at the age of 17.
She trained at Varium Espai de Moviment and the following year she was a member of the Fre3bodies dance program in Barcelona.
Dancer and cover in different projects with the choreographers Agnés Sales and Hector Plaza, Pietro Marullo, Lu Arroyo and acrobat in a new production of the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona. Choreographer and performer of the solo piece “Interna Soledad”.
She focuses on the basic work so that, once integrated into the body, it progressively deforms it and creates infinite possibilities of movement, becoming aware of the physical conditions of the body itself.
He was born in Barcelona in 1994. He studied contemporary dance at 'Aula Teatre Monumental'. He then studied in Rotterdam at Codarts University where he became professionalized. He worked in Germany with the company Theater Undorchester Heidelberg under the direction of Nanine Linning. He continued his Career in Lithuania with the company AURA then with the Malta National Company 'Zfin Malta'.
He then decided to continue freelance by working as a dancer, for multiple projects, as a choreographer and contemporary dance teacher. Abel has worked with major names in the international contemporary scene such as Jiri Kylian, Marina Mascarell, Fèlix Landerer, José Agudo and María Rovira among others. He recently decided to return to Barcelona where he continues his career as a dancer, teacher and choreographer.
AGNES SALES MARTIN, AKNESS
ACROBATIC AND CONTEMPORARY DANCE TEACHER
ARAN CASADEVALL
BALLET TEACHER AND
THEORETICAL CLASSES
Born in Barcelona she started her career as a gymnast. After that she began to introduce herself into the Hip Hop community as part of the breaking crew "La Cueva".
Among other awards, she become the winner of the BOTY France twice in a row in 2015 and 1016 and Open Your Mind 2018.
At the same time, Agnés acquired the university degree in physical activity and sports sciences at the INEFC in Barcelona. However, her curiosity for the performing arts led her to continue her academic education by conducting contemporary dance training at the "Varium" school leaded by Anna Sánchez.
She has worked with companies like Iron Skulls, La Intrusa, Marcel et ses Drôles des Femmes, VAYA and Chriki’Z, Spoart and Zero en Conducta. In an hybrid work between contemporary dance, circus, urban dance and theatre.
In addition she’s co-director and dancer for the company Agnés Sales & Héctor Plaza. With which they have created the pieces Ehiza, Blue Monday and Happy Everything.
She began her training in musical theatre at the Aules school and gradually specialized in dance. She followed 4 years of professional training in classical dance and then entered the Mariemma Professional Dance Conservatory (Madrid) specialized in contemporary dance. Two years later, she studied at the Conservatorio Profesional de danza at the Institut del Teatro where she graduated in 2014.
She then joined the Conservatorio Superior de Danza and performed the choreography of "Los Corderos", "Sol Picó" and "Lali Ayguadé".She graduated in 2021 in dance pedagogy.
Professionally, she has performed for the companies "CaraBdanza Project", "Compañía Ion Beitia", "Voyance", and directed and choreographed the Compañía "Eqvilater".
She has also danced and choreographed in various commercials, many for TV3.
Her experience as a teacher focuses on classical, contemporary dance and pilates, as well as choreography, pedagogy and injury prevention workshops, both at the professional and amateur levels. She is currently working for the formació professional de bailarines at the Varium school and the ADansa school, which she also directed for 7 years and is a member of the education commission of the Association of Dance Professionals of Barcelona.
GUEST TEACHERS
NADINE GERSPACHER
CONTEMPORARY DANCE TEACHER
Nadine is an independent dancer, choreographer & teacher. She has worked for various choreographers since 2002. Her experience with companies as Dave St. Pierre Company Montreal , Cirque du Soleil among other companies has led Nadine to have a penchant for dance theatre inspired by “everyday life”.
Since 2011 she has been developing her own creative project “ Cia. Nadine Gerspacher”.
She is giving workshops and is creating regularly dance- theatre pieces for companies, universities and education schools internationally.
Since 2008 she has been working closely with Anna Sanchez / Varium.
In 2018 she created the creation and performance program FRE3 BODIES together with Nicolas Ricchini in collaboration with Anna Sanchez.
Nadine ´s classes explore contemporary dance, incorporating movement tasks and situations that playfully connect people and focus on the energetics of body language. She generates a warm atmosphere and inspires students to work intelligently and push the edges of their limits.
Nadine encourages spontaneity in the creation process. Her choreography draws on relevant and current themes. The play of contrasts and extremes are essential to her creation methods. Nadine fosters collaboration in the studio, offering the opportunity for dancers to be actively engaged in the creation process and to bring their own knowledge and experience into the process. She enjoys getting to know the dancers, creating with them and developing special roles for character work. Each piece represents the personal and collective essence, created by Nadine and the dancers.
ALAIN GRUTTADAURIA
JAZZ AND CONTEMPORARY DANCE TEACHER
Choreographer, dancer and international teacher.
Alain is an amazing mix of contemporary and jazz influences.
Director of his own subsidized company "La Licorne", he offers many choreographic pieces that make him one of the innovators of this new European dance.
In substance as in form, he is a sensitive artist endowed with surprising gestures that play between aesthetics, power and virtuosity.
Energy, technique, acceleration, fragmentation particularly define his style.
Some creations:
Délices, 180 Secondes, Virus (2005), Les Secrets (2006), Waiting Land (2007), Extrême Désir (2008), Loup, es tu là ? (2009), L’Attrape Rêve (2010)
NICOLAS RICCHINI
CONTEMPORARY DANCE TEACHER
Nicolas trained in Ballet in Lyon and in Contemporary Dance in Barcelona in Varium.
Over the past ten years he has worked with artists and companies such as Pepe Hevia Danza (Cuba), Fernando Madagan (Nederlands Dans Theater), Tupac Martir in London, Emma Martin Dance, Akram Khan Company for the Opening Ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Games, La Taimada, CLOD Ensemble and Lali Ayguadé Company among others.His performance of the solo “Chotto Desh” for Akram Khan Company on a three-year international tour was a highlight of his career: a work translated in 6 languages, hosted in 85 cities and seen by more than 110,000 spectators.
He has also been an actor, together with Lali Ayguadé, in the multi-award winning and Oscar nominee shortfilm “Timecode” by Juanjo Giménez.
A dance entrepreneur, Nicolas has initiated innovative projects in Barcelona for the education of contemporary dance such as the FRE3 BODIES program that he co-directs together with Nadine Gerspacher since 2018. Since 2018, he directs Big Story Productions which produces and sells contemporary dance production and projects as well a represents bold and audacious artists. In 2020, started working again with Akram Khan Company as rehearsal director for the piece “Chotto Xenos”.
HECTOR PLAZA, BUBA
URBAN AND CONTEMPORARY DANCE TEACHER
Born in Valladolid in 1991 he began his relationship with the movement from a young age through sports and martial arts. Later at the age of 11 he turned to urban dances, more specifically Breaking.
In 2012 he began his training as a dancer of contemporary dance in the school Varium and since then has not stopped researching and training to date becoming nominated for the awards of the critic of Catalonia and the Max awards as best male dancer in 2022. He has also worked as a performer for Nadine Gerspacher, Physical Momentum Project by Francisco Córdova Azuela, Roberto Olivan, La intrusa, Guy Nader and Maria Campos.
As own projects is one of the founding members of the company Iron Skulls and also works together Agnes Sales at pedagogical and creative level.
MENA AVOLIO
contemporary dance teacher and choreographer
Born in Italy, Mena Avolio studied Classical, Jazz, Modern and Contemporary dance in Geneva, London and Toronto. During her career as a dancer-performer, she has participated in numerous creations in Switzerland, Europe and Canada. As a choreographer, she has collaborated with Alain Tanner in cinema, Claude Strass for opera, Pierre Naftule for Geneva magazines. She choreographs several events in Switzerland and Europe and also works with theatres, public or private throughout French-speaking Switzerland.
In 2005, she started her Compagnie freelance Ô'Bains, whose latest creation «Parle-moi» was presented in New York as part of the festival «The Next Stage Project» at the City Center Dance Studios. At the same time, she teaches Modern/Jazz dance and modern BAT in several Geneva schools, including the Conservatoire de musique de Genève for the pre-professional theatre section with Anne-Marie Delbart.