Ralf Jaroschinski

Born in Southern Germany and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Ralf Jaroschinski graduated as a classical and modern dancer from the University of Music, Theater and Media in Hannover, Germany, and then studied several contemporary dance and composition techniques in New York, USA, on a stipend from the German Academic Exchange Service. He discovered contact improvisation for himself in 1994, at first with Daniel Lepkoff, Alito Alessi and later with Brenton Cheng, Martin Keogh and Nancy Stark Smith. From 1998 until 2002, he directed the dance company of the City Theater of Hildesheim, Germany, and included contact improvisation as integral part of the dancers' training and the creation of his works. He also got commissioned to create choreographies for several European, Asian and American municipal and national ballet companies and dance universities ? so far, he has created some 100 dance pieces and improvisation scores. Facilitating contact improvisation classes and workshops more regularly since 2004, Ralf has taught at numerous festivals, universities, dance schools and studios all over the world. He has trained the dancers of companies such as the German National Ballet Company at the Gärtnerplatz Theater in Munich, "tanzmainz" at the National Theater in Mainz, and the ?Tanztheater Braunschweig?, "Carte Blanche" in Bergen, Norway, the Swedish "GöteborgsOperans Danskompani" and "Cullbergbaletten" in Stockholm, the "Bangkok City Ballet" in Thailand, "Frontier Danceland" in Singapore, the Australian "Canberra Dance Theatre", and the Brazilian Curitiba Guaíra Ballet in contact improvisation.