Stará Michaela

A dancer and performer who is finishing master programme at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (HAMU) at the Nonverbal Theater department. She was focused mainly on mime, physical theater, acting and acrobatics. Before studying she was basicly a street dancer but later on she got interested in combining various dance genres and theatre work to create her personal and original style. For example Mime with Popping dance and Vogue dance elements with circus techniques.

She has created several short solo acts, combining mime with street dance (Us Two, BANG), and now she is working on a concept based on the Vogue dance style and juggling techniques with ping pong balls (Ping Pongue). She has participated in several international theater festivals such as Letní Letna, Cirkopolis, Cirk-Uff, KULT Festival, Mime Fest, Fun Fatale, My Mime, Pan Festival and more.

The first solo performance IMELDA, directed by Radim Vizváry was her first author projec combining live music, mime, and elements of street dance styles. The performance was played at Divadlo Disk, at the international festival Mime Fest, Komedianti v ulicích and at the Švandovo divadlo.

The solo performance PARASITE is the latest author project created under the production of Public Art/Palac Akropolis in Prague, and as a master performance at the Department of Nonverbal Theater HAMU. Dance-theater performance linking acting, dance styles Vogue and Tutting with elements of ping pong juggling inspired by the sci-fi movies.

She has also gained her theatre experiences by performing in other projects such as Prezidementi in a cooperation with Spitfire Company, “Anne to view the sky without fear” (Opera studio Prague), the opera Der Freischütz, performed in Dresden's Schloss Batzdorf under the direction of Thomas Quass, Papírrr, interactive performance for children, or a drama performance The Blue Bird at the Estates Theater in Prague.

She has also performed in several site-specific projects: Carpe diem - Festival Kult (Mime Prague), Opening show for Fun Fatale festival in Kasárny Karlín, Proč dál? (Spielraum Kollektiv), Psychomachia - KULT Festival (Tantehorse) and other more.

In addition to performing, she has been working as a teacher of the street dance styles basics for several years. She began at Fantasy Dance Studio, where she participated in several dance cup competitions with children, then at Taneční centrum Andrea, Prague Music School and currently teaches children aged 4 to 6 years at Baby Dance Prague.