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Olga Spyraki
Born in Boston USA. Lives and works in Athens.
Olga is a Mover. Dance for her is a way to share, interact, learn, co create and manifest.
INTRODUCTION
She was born in Boston USA and raised in Boston & NY, USA, and Athens & Patras, Greece. She has studied professionally theater and dance performing/ teaching (Athens Drama School by G Theodosiadis, Rallou Manou Dance Academy, Department of Theater Studies at University of Peloponnese) and in 2019 completed her postgraduate studies in COMMA: Co-creation of Movement Masters of Arts, in the Netherlands (Codarts Conservatoire and Fontys Academy joint degree.) She also attended one academic year of dance classes ( 2018 – 2019) as auditor student at the Greek National Opera professional dance school.
BIO
Since childhood, she always perceived that this one visible world embodies a non visible Being and Whole, where beauty and light reflect our inner selves. In her need to understand dark aspects and wounds of Humanity, she sensed the interior light and substance, which we all are truly made of. Her necessity to make this Light of our Souls visible to all of us , and a constant remind for her own being, was expressed through the medium of narrative, and telling stories.
Her body and movement is her tool to express and speak, even of what her spirit witnesses and her mind cannot fully comprehend. She trusts the intuitive movement that communicates Creation, Offer, and Truth.
Olga is a Mover. Dance for her is a way to share, interact, learn, co create and manifest.
She focuse on intuitive dance and instant composition and also is deeply interested in narrating spoken and written word, with movement. She sees music and rhythm in words, which can be also told through the body. Silence and breath may reveal the Truth of what has been said, refined from thoughts and feelings. This is a revealing process for her.
As a professional dancer and choreographer at her first cycle of work, she pursued to collaborate as a performer with directors and choreographers who had inspired her with their creation and artwork.
Her first yoga class with her Teacher, Naya Karnava, was the initiation of the next cycle for her as an artist. Yoga Science inspired a daily practice , of yoga, meditative way of being , and dance, that focuses on the expansion of consciousness. This path has become for her a path of healing, reforming, and committing to Art as an everyday Life practice , manifestation, collaborative creation. And dance, as a dilated momentum of remembrance of our true higher selves. Matter is the mode; Spirit is the poetic to be revealed.
As a new member of Art of Life Collective, she feels grateful to continue her path within a community of co creation and shared practice. With a deep belief in collectivism and co-creation, Olga joins the other members of the art of life collective, and the yoga science community, on a deep and meaningful journey.
“My body is my narrative.
My past wounds are my blessed lessons.
My spirit is to trust and allow it to unfold, in every moment of my life.
I bear no sin, as I have bore witness to her.
My dance is yours and ours.”
From Body as Document..
…into Body as Narrative
From Body as Document into Body as Narrative
In 2023 Olga begun her PHD research entitled Body as Document. Her primal intention was to research in practice, how a body speaks of a personal or communal experience which occurs due to a social or political event.
After 2 years of research, along with her two years of Yoga Science training, her research and practice have transformed into a much deeper pathway. An internal process has now exceeded the external perception of movement as a narrative of politics. Her realization of the dual substance of Matter and Spirit, which actually is one unified process of Being, shifted the dynamics of her research towards movement as the instant narrative of absolute Truth.
After researching on Ophelia as a romantic yet tragic stereotype for the female being, she practiced on how Guilt may evolve into forgiveness.
Each year her research took place at a dance studio for one academic year, by curating and dancing along with a group of professionals’ dancers/ performers and people who related to dance practice. Each year, guest teachers also attended to share with the group their tools and perceptions on how movement can communicate experience.
As her main starting point to compose movement was word, written or vocalized documents of events related to our main research topic, she brought in studio tasks and tools to embody spoken/ written narrative.
As the third year of research began, it was clear to her: politics or social definitions of our experiences, though they may be precise, nevertheless they depend on an exterior understanding of Being. The true narrative is the experience on its own, with no mental interpretation. As the body speaks of what Is, the Spirit reveals. The practice is fine tuning the body for it to articulate with clarity our inner Truth.
And now, as the third year of workshops and practice has begun, this methodology of dancing and research is defined as: Body as Narrative.
Each year concludes with a dance performance on stage. This years’ main theme to research is the concept of Freedom.
Choreography 2020 – 2026
These past years each creation appears to be an inner step towards the sole pathway of devoting oneself to allowing the light to spring from within, to every other soul.
2020 – 2022 was a period of creating and performing the solo piece LOSS. The piece related to grief upon loss. It is today that Olga realizes it was a grief for the death of a part of her that she had to let go. A first death to bring a rebirth.
2023 – 2024 brough Bloom duo, as a response to the previous project. Dancing along with Isidora Vincetelli, Olga danced for the Bloom of our souls. It was a statement of choosing to cherish the Light, and the Potentiality of all.
2024 – 2025 was a year of creations each reflecting another and all together as a continuum of the previous projects. Cambio, a piece on Change, Shift, and liberation
and Afthonia – a ritual performance co created by all Yoga Science community. Afthonia/ Prosperity – the fullness and completeness that Is within all elements of Being: Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, Ether. Also a first work on this years piece entitled Mayu, was made and performed by her students at Duncan Dance Research Center and dance school of Athens.
This year, as a member of Art of Life, she continues to process on Afthonia creation, and also has begun rehearsals for Mayu performance and film.
cV
Professional Studies:
She is a Yoga Science teacher
Dance studies:
She is a qualified dancer and dance teacher:
* Rallou Manou Professional Dance School (degree 2010), with an additional one-year study as an au pair,
* Higher Professional Dance School of the National Opera (audience, supplementary study, 2018- 2019)
Theater studies:
* Excellent graduate (grade 9) of the Department of Theater Studies of the University of Patras (degree 2016)
* Diploma in acting from the Athens Drama School G. Theodosiadis (recognized by the Ministry of Culture and Sports) (degree 2003)
Postgraduate studies:
postgraduate studies in choreography COMMA, Codarts University of the Arts, NL (with artistic coach Linda Kapetanea),
with the financial support of the Kostopoulos Foundation. Degree 2020.
Additional Education:
* Selected and attended the “Ex-In” educational program on Flying Low & Passing through techniques, directed by David Zambrano (2018).
* Selected and attended the 1st cycle of the International Workshop entitled “The Method of Theodoros Terzopoulos” held Attis Theater (2015).
* Selected and attended the research workshop taught and coordinated by Lloyd Newson (Dv8), in Geneva in September 2011.
Dancer/performer
She has collaborated as a performer/dancer, among others, with:
* Eugenia Tzirtzilaki Orestis – Experimental Stage of the National Theatre 2004. (Dance)
* Nigel Charnock, Athens Cabaret, Athens Alpha project, 2010. (Dancer “A”)
* Yelp Dance Company/ Mariela Nestora 0/+1/01 (Athens Biennale), 2011 dancer. Am I , ( Kalamata International Festival) 2012. (Voice)
* Michael Marmarinos, Insenso, Athens Festival, 2012, 2013. Dance/ Lyvia. Once to be realized, tribute to Yannis Christou, House of Letters and Arts, 2022 Dance
* Theodore Ambazi The Snow Queen, children’s opera composed and directed by Theodore Ambazi (choreography and participation as a dancer, in multiple stage roles). Dipethe Patras Apollon Theater, 2014-2015. Onasis Foundation Cultural Center, Central Stage, 2016
* Eugenia Tzirtzilaki, what is Valuable, Benaki Museum, out topias festival, 2015. Choir
* Rob Roznowski USA, director. “A private response to Public Art”, devised & site – specific piece. In the Public space of the University of Patras, as a performance creation, of the Department of Theatre Studies of Patras. 2016. Antigone (by Oedipus Antigone)
* Les gens D’uterpan, Avis d’audition, Documenta 14, Athens, 2017. Dancer
* Ermira Goro, Meetings, (Arc for Dance festival), Kivotos Theatre, 2018. Dancer
* Romeo Castellucci – Societas company, performance Democracy in America, Athens Festival, Onasis Foundation Cultural Center, main stage. 2018. Dancer
* Kostas Tsioukas/Ear dance group, ΧΩΡΕΙ ΜΑΣ ΧΟΡΟΙ ΜΑΣ, Mir Festival, Pallas cinema, 2018. Serafio Cultural Centre 2019. Dancer
* Athens Dance Video Project Festival-Promenade, Walk Silly Walk, solo dance. 2020
* Athens Concert Hall and K.O.A., Loukas Karytinos. “Journey to the Center of Music”. Dancer/ cor de ballet, classical repertoire
Personal creations (indicative):
* Apollomi, solo in personal composition and interpretation, with the financial support of the Ministry of Culture, Patras Municipal Theatre, Piraeus Municipal Theatre, stage Ω, Plyfa space. 2021 – 2023
* Bloom duet, in collaboration with dancer Maria Isidora Vintecelli, with the dramaturgical guidance of actress and theater teacher Julianna Bloodgood (song of the goat theater, Poland). First presentation at the Athens Video Dance Project, December 2023. Participation in the Vrachon Theatre Festival, municipality of Byron, summer 2024, 2023- 2024
* Cambio/a dance performance, duet with Nikos Garozis acrobat, first performance Plyfa, Athens and second as part of the Athens Municipality Festival, with the support of OPANDA, at the Koumoundourou Square Theater, Athens, 2025
* The Abundance of 5 – on going project, Ritual Performance co curated and co created within Yoga Science community and Art of Life Colllective. First performance Aloni Theater, Pelion, Greece, 2025