Education and training

Ada Anghel

I am Ada Anghel, a 26-year-old performer and choreographer. I started dancing more than 12 years ago with hip-hop and break-dance, but in recent years I have explored  the world of contemporary dance. Last year, I graduated from the National University of Theatre and Film “I.L. Caragiale” in Bucharest, specializing in “Performing Arts – Choreography,” and since then my explorations have continued in both contemporary dance and physical and musical theater.

I have had the opportunity to work with various choreographers, such as Valentina de Piante, Ioana Marchidan, Lavinia Urcan, but also with my colleagues who are creators at the beginning of their careers, Anastasia Preotu and Vlad Furtună, whose shows I have taken as far and wide as I could. I also had the opportunity to teach in several contexts, the most beautiful being my collaboration with Ceva Centru in Târgu Neamț.

I have expanded my curiosity for exploration and learning through workshops and I worked with several international choreographers, such as Fabian Thome, Edivaldo Ernesto, Rob Hyden, Lali Ayguade, Vittoria De Ferrari Sapetto etc.

I like to explore the motivation behind people’s desire to move their bodies and am interested in understanding people’s philosophies and values in life, because I believe there is a direct connection between these and the way they move.

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Which artist or group of artists inspires you?

I am most inspired by choreographer Lali Ayguade and the members of the Lali Ayguade Company: Akira Yoshida, Lisard Tranis, Anna Calsina, and Diego Sinniger.

A message for yourself, the 30-year-old

To be healthy and have loved ones around me, to find people with whom I feel calm, creative, and respected.

Alexandra Necula

I am Ada Anghel, a 26-year-old performer and choreographer. I started dancing more than 12 years ago with hip-hop and break-dance, but in recent years I have explored  the world of contemporary dance. Last year, I graduated from the National University of Theatre and Film “I.L. Caragiale” in Bucharest, specializing in “Performing Arts – Choreography,” and since then my explorations have continued in both contemporary dance and physical and musical theater.

I have had the opportunity to work with various choreographers, such as Valentina de Piante, Ioana Marchidan, Lavinia Urcan, but also with my colleagues who are creators at the beginning of their careers, Anastasia Preotu and Vlad Furtună, whose shows I have taken as far and wide as I could. I also had the opportunity to teach in several contexts, the most beautiful being my collaboration with Ceva Centru in Târgu Neamț.

I have expanded my curiosity for exploration and learning through workshops and I worked with several international choreographers, such as Fabian Thome, Edivaldo Ernesto, Rob Hyden, Lali Ayguade, Vittoria De Ferrari Sapetto etc.

I like to explore the motivation behind people’s desire to move their bodies and am interested in understanding people’s philosophies and values in life, because I believe there is a direct connection between these and the way they move.

***

Which artist or group of artists inspires you?

I am most inspired by choreographer Lali Ayguade and the members of the Lali Ayguade Company: Akira Yoshida, Lisard Tranis, Anna Calsina, and Diego Sinniger.

A message for yourself, the 30-year-old

To be healthy and have loved ones around me, to find people with whom I feel calm, creative, and respected.

Ana Costache

I started dancing at the age of five, when movement became a natural form of expression for me. Since then, contemporary dance has been my primary language, the space where I learned to transform emotions and thoughts into clear and authentic gestures.

For two years, I also practiced competitive dance, an experience that taught me rigor, discipline, and a different kind of physical precision. However, contemporary dance has always remained at the center of my artistic journey, being the form that has allowed me to grow and constantly seek new ways of expression.

I also try to experiment with how I can transform my own emotions through dance. Through each project, I try to discover what the body can say beyond words and what changes in the body when I dance. My goal is to create a direct connection with the environment through each interaction within the Dance and Performance Academy, based on authenticity and the living presence of the moment. Dance remains for me a continuous journey, a practice through which I learn to be present and share who I am.

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Which artist or group of artists inspires you?

Pina Bausch is definitely my greatest source of inspiration, thanks to the way she has influenced contemporary dance, theater, and cinema.

A message to yourself, to yourself at 30.

Dear Ana over 30, I am still here and I am still moving. And because I am moving, you are still here too.

Bianca Ardeleanu

My name is Bianca Ardeleanu and I am a dancer, performer, and choreographer. In 2021, I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in choreography from the Theater Faculty of U.N.A.T.C. „I. L. Caragiale.” Since then, I have been a member of the contemporary dance company Contemporary Creative Dreamers, led by choreographer Daniel Dragomir. For seven years, I taught contemporary dance to children, so my work has been largely focused in this direction, but I am currently interested in developing as a performer. I am particularly interested in combining acrobatics with contemporary dance, but also in developing a technique/structure for teaching acrobatics to contemporary dancers. For the past three years, I have been training with C-Mestre Antonio Minhoca in the acrobatic aspect of capoeira. I am about to start classes at the National Dance Center in Bucharest, where I hope that my professional direction, which has taken shape over time, will take on as many different forms and dimensions as possible.

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Which artist or group of artists inspires you?

Because I am very interested in the physicality of dance—how far the body can go and how many limits we can overcome – I am currently inspired by choreographer Anton Lachky. His proposals in his technique, Puzzle Work, represent for me, at present, a joint effort between mind and body, a tacit agreement to overcome certain limits.

A message to yourself, to yourself at 30.

A message for myself, over 30 years old. Difficult… I’m usually afraid to look so far ahead in time, but if I do this exercise, I think what I would like to say to myself is simple: I hope

you have found peace. That peace that does not mean stopping, but space – space to continue swimming among the things that bring you joy and curiosity.

Cristina Tudor

Hello, my name is Cristina Tudor and I work in the performing arts as an actress, playwright, and performer. My collaborations include performances at Shakespeare’s Globe and The Arcola in London, KIA Productions and Ensemble Theatre in Vancouver, Beznă Theatre, Delazero, Asociația Hearth, Cultură’n Șură, Adepth Infusion, Cuibul Artiștilor, and the film production company GoldenBoi Screendance.

I am the founder of the Cătun association, which invites its audience into a space of introspection, empathy, and connection. In recent years, I have focused on creations and collaborations targeting young people and families in medium and small communities in the country, but also in the diaspora. For me, the performing arts are a space where people are welcome to share experiences, find common ground between the deepest oppositions, celebrate, and find inspiration.

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Which artist or group of artists inspires you?

That’s a difficult question to answer. There are many, and I don’t want to be unfair by not mentioning someone, but I’ll say this: I greatly admire the people I work with at the moment, and I consider myself so lucky to see them create. In the group section, I would mention my friends from Delazero, Unfold Motion, Contemporary Creative Dreamers, and K.IA. Productions, collectives of artists who seek to reinvent themselves with each project, to educate themselves, and to bring visibility to dance and the performing arts. They are courageous, hard-working, and deserve a lot of exposure. Look for their initiatives and support them. Individually, I am inspired by Corina Andrian (director), Andrea Salustri (performer/choreographer), Omar Rajeh (choreographer), and Nicole Rose-Bond (choreographer).

A message to yourself, to yourself at 30.

Wherever life takes you, always remain honest in your creativity, in your relationships with people, and in the ideas that arise in your life. I promise to take care of this body, to nourish my mind and soul with beautiful things, so that I can reach you in the best possible condition and enjoy your experience with my whole being.

Daiana Sargan

I was born in Sibiu and, for a long time, I worked with written text in its various forms—theory, poetry, etc. In 2017, in Rome, I started acting in short films, after which, for several years, I traveled to places where dancers I admired worked, trying to understand what dance is and what relevance a performance has today. I became more attuned to Japanese sensibilities, which gave me the opportunity to train more intensively in Nagoya (JP). I did not find a definitive answer, but rather several perspectives—some more appealing than others—but I was particularly intrigued by the generation of dancers in Bucharest who have been active since the early 2000s.

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Which artist or group of artists inspires you?

Depending on what solutions I am looking for in my work, I linger over one artist or another for a longer or shorter period of time. For example, for some time now, I juggle around Christoph Schlingensief with Kunst und Gemüse. A. Hipler – 2004 and the Volksbühne Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz in Berlin.

A message to yourself, to yourself at 30.

I don’t really know what to say, good luck and a haiku by Mizuta Masahide that I rewrote today.

the barn burned down –
nothing stops me from
seeing the moon now

[Sept. 3, 2025]

Ilinca Budeanu

My name is Ilinca, I am 22 years old, I am from Brașov, and in one way or another, I have always danced.I moved to Bucharest in 2021 to study philosophy, and in my quest to continue dancing, I discovered contemporary dance. In 2023, I started a bachelor’s degree program in Performing Arts, Choreography at UNATC „I.L. Caragiale”Bucharest, which provides me with the framework to experiment with this medium of expression that I have always loved.

I am now in a tentative process of learning more about myself and the things that surround me, and the questions and discoveries that come with it often lead me to other forms of “play” such as visual arts, music, or literature.I seek to surround myself with people who are as diverse as possible, with experiences and interests that are increasingly different from my own, and I hope for an open, welcoming, and free space, from and in which I can mix ideas and experiments. I believe that taking part to the Dance and Performance Academy Program at CNDB was the first step in this search.

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Which artist or group of artists inspires you?

Peeping Tom

A message to yourself, to yourself at 30.

You still got time.

Iulia Andro

Hi, I’m Iulia Andro, a performer, freelancer, and aspiring choreographer. I’ve always been drawn to the space between technique and freedom, between rigor and spontaneity, and for me, dance is a form of knowledge and sharing, a way for the body to communicate and achieve what words cannot.

I began my artistic journey through music, studying the violin and piano for several years, an experience that gave me rigor, sensitivity, and a different perspective on rhythm and harmony.

Encountering David Zambrano’s practice opened up important paths for me—from the Flying Low & Passing Through and 60 Days of Improvisation workshops to participating in performances such as AGE and Las Morochas at the TicTac Art Centre (Belgium), as well as at the Berlin Performing Arts Festival, as part of the Butoh Caravan. These experiences showed me how dance can become a universal language that unites communities and creates a state of presence in every moment. Since 2023, I have been a member of the contemporary dance company Contemporary Creative Dreamers and a performer in contemporary dance shows (Nihil Sine Deo – choreographer: Dragomir Daniel; Wet Dreams “Are Made of This” – choreographer: Preotu Anastasia; Tehnici de a Sugruma un Câine Maidanez – choreographer: Furtună Vlad).

At the same time, I am also involved in social media as a content creator, an activity that trains my creativity and develops my visual thinking, storytelling, and ability to find original solutions. At the same time, I am continuing my studies at the “I.L. Caragiale” National University of Theatre and Cinematography in Bucharest, cultivating a practice that combines technique with the poetic dimension of improvisation.

I look forward to becoming a complete creator, capable of giving birth to dance performances that combine the power of the body with applied somatic practices and experimental practices, creating transformative artistic experiences that feed the imagination and touch the souls of viewers.

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Which artist or group of artists inspires you?

I am inspired by artists who have the courage to be authentic on stage. David Zambrano, through the way he connects improvisation with everyday life, remains a benchmark for me. I am inspired by creators such as Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Sasha Waltz, Crystal Pite, Ohad Naharin, Dimitris Papaioannou, and others. So do the bands Radiohead and Massive Attack, through their depth and courage. At the same time, I am inspired by colleagues and friends who make me look at dance with new eyes every time, as well as all the people who are passionate and completely invested in their practice.

A message to yourself, to yourself at 30.

I hope you always keep alive the curiosity and joy that brought you on this path. Keep creating from a place of sincerity, stay present, allow yourself to explore new and challenging themes. Do everything with gratitude and love.

Iustin Danalache

My name is Iustin Danalache. I am 22 years old.

I did competitive dancing from the age of 6 to 12. Being passionate about music and trying to imitate instruments and rhythms, at the age of 13 I decided to do beatboxing, a hobby that made me curious about the qualities of sound. When I started high school, I also started street dance classes, which shifted my interest to the qualities of movement that the body can have.

My artistic training began as a student in the Acting Department at UNATC “I.L. Caragiale” where I had the opportunity to discover myself as a creator. Even here, dance remained with me through movement classes, choreography exams, and theater performances in which movement was my strength.

My curiosity and pleasure in expressing myself are developing me into an interdisciplinary artist.

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Which artist or group of artists inspires you?

I find inspiration in many forms of performance art, but if I had to choose one artist who fascinates me with the way of thinking and creating, it would be Bo Burnham.

A message for yourself, the 30-year-old.

To 52-year-old Iustin: Look between your thumb and index finger. If you still feel what I feel now, you’re fine. If not, good luck.

Melissa Mezei

I started dancing in 2016, through street dance, exploring hip hop, waacking, vogue, but also influences from dancehall and afro house. My training was consolidated within Switch Crews Oradea, with whom I participated in international competitions, including Hip Hop International – the world’s largest competition for dance crews. This stage taught me the rigour of training, teamwork and the dynamics of the stage.

After four years, I turned my practice towards improvisation and contemporary dance, interested in processes, presence and the relationship between body and space. A defining moment was the period I spent in Brussels, where I studied with David Zambrano, Julyen Hamilton, Anouk van Dijk, Sarah Ludi, Jennifer Monson, and Ernesto Edivaldo. Encountering these methodologies expanded my repertoire and nuanced my understanding of performance composition.

At the same time, I attended the Faculty of Philosophy at Babeș-Bolyai University in Cluj, where I focused my research on the living ontology of the body—a perspective that helps me view dance as a cognitive and relational practice, not just a performative one. This theoretical dimension supports my artistic approach and the way I structure both my training and my creative process. In my artistic development, I seek to combine elements from the vocabulary of other styles under the umbrella of improvisation, to challenge the body to constantly reinvent itself so as not to get stuck in a pattern of movement, and to create, through dance, a context in which the audience can read movement as a living dialogue

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Which artist or group of artists inspires you?

Among the artists who inspire me are Amenti Theatre (as a style of movement, not as a philosophy), Sasha Waltz, Storyboard p, Pina Bausch, Clarice Lispector (literature), Bjork, Thom Yorke.

A message to yourself, to yourself at 30.

For us, there is only a present that slips away in motion.

Sofia Sitaru-Onofrei

My name is Sofia Sitaru-Onofrei, I am 25 years old and I have been dancing for as long as I can remember. Dance has been and still is the purest form of expression for me. Through dance, I can laugh, cry, play, experiment, create and free myself. For me, dance is a gateway to the essence of the present moment—ephemeral and, at the same time, infinitely rich. Through my body and movement, I explore the connection between the interior and exterior, between emotion and form, leaving rational thinking behind in order to “think” directly with my body. I seek for each creation to become a living space, where sensations are born and disappear in real time, leaving behind subtle traces of authentic experience.

I trained as a dancer at the Floria Capsali Choreography High School, where classical dance was the main focus. I was a principal dancer at theThe Comic Opera for Children, and then I danced for the ballet ensemble of The Romanian National Opera. then continued my bachelor’s degree in Choreographic Art at UNATC “I.L. Caragiale” from Bucharest where I began to explore the world of contemporary dance. I continued my first year of master’s studies in Jerusalem. There I was a part of Jerusalem Dance Company. In Israel, I felt that I was much more at home in contemporary dance than in classical ballet. I discovered Gaga movement, a practice that completely changed my perception of the body and dance. The experience of working with choreographers such as Noa Zuk, Shahar Binyamini, and Pablo Girolami taught me to view dance as a game – a place where curiosity and freedom set the tone. Each project has shaped me and strengthened my belief that dance is not just technique, but a way of living in the present with all its intensity. In every project I am involved in, I try to bring the playful and honest spirit that I have discovered.

I am currently active in the independent contemporary dance scene in Romania as a performer and choreographer. I collaborate with independent artists and organizations such as Platforma 13, Delazero, Linotip, and Teatrul Godot, as well as with the National Dance Center in Bucharest. I have also begun to develop my teaching skills, sharing the knowledge I have accumulated so far. I hold contemporary dance workshops for adults and teenagers and ballet classes for children.

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Which artist or group of artists inspires you?

I hesitated a lot before answering this question because I feel that everything around me inspires me. Every soul I interact with in the dance studio and beyond inspires me. The colleagues and friends I work with bring a breath of fresh air, their own experience, a different perspective on things, curious and interesting thoughts, and I feel that after every rehearsal I have learned something new from them and I am feeling inspired. These would be my dear friends Anca and Sergiu from Platforma 13, Camelia and Maria Luiza from Delazero, Beatrice from Unfold Motion, Teodora from Imprevizibil, Andreea Valean, George Pleșca, Cătălina Ionescu and Eva Danciu.

Another artist who has left his mark on my choreographic and artistic direction is Noa Zuk. During my time in Israel, I had the opportunity to work with Noa and adopt her way of working. I was fascinated by the physicality she built with us, the dancers. She changed the qualities and rhythm from one movement to another, usually following a score (set of rules) on which she built the entire performance. These things pushed my limits, challenging me in terms of my perception of space, directions, and intentions in movement. I often needed to tell myself an absurd but funny story while dancing in order to access the qualities of movement proposed by Noa. Trained at the Batcheva dance company, she uses the Gaga technique in her performances, but adds a personal touch, using a special connection with music, often created by her life partner Ohad Fishof, a dancer and composer. Thus, the music and choreography end up in perfect symbiosis, you can’t tell if you’re dancing to the music or if the music is following your movements.

A message to yourself, to yourself at 30.

Keep dancing through life as you have done until now and you will be fine, wherever you are. Don’t take things too seriously, even if life gets tough and you feel like you can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel, you will find a solution because you always have! I hope you dance with your children in the living room and that you have instilled in them a love of movement.

Teodora Tudose

I am a choreographer and performer, a graduate of the bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in Choreographic Art at U.N.A.T.C. “I. L. Caragiale” Bucharest.

In 2024, I founded Imprevizibil, the artistic identity under which I carry out my choreographic activity.

I am drawn to dramatic and poetic writing, seeking to combine movement and words organically in my creations. As a style of movement and means of expression in contemporary dance, I emphasize the use of gestures and visual images, a direction I seek to explore further.

Through my creations, I want to touch the emotional side of the viewer, to move something inside the audience, and as a result, for people to come up with their own thoughts and questions. It is very important to me as an artist that the viewer feels and connects with what I express through my body, words, and the energy I bring to the stage.

Recently, I have begun to explore more and more through improvisation and even to construct performances based on improvisation. I feel that I have reached a point where I intend to disregard rules, take risks, and ultimately listen to my intuition. To return to dance for dance’s sake.

The most important works for which I have choreographed are “Best regards, wishing you well,” “Love me for five minutes,” “We need to talk,” and “Influences.”

I have collaborated extensively with various associations, theaters, and institutions nationally and internationally, through which I have gained experience, connections, and my own creative direction.

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Which artist or group of artists inspires you?

Leila Ka inspires me a lot. I find myself greatly reflected in her creations in terms of movement style, vision and visual images. This year, I went to Paris specifically to see her performance, “Maldonne.” The experience I had then demolished entire walls of mental barriers that I had imposed on myself. Other important references for my movement style and the vibe I strive for in my creations are Crystal Pite and Pina Bausch.

A message to yourself, to yourself at 30.

Oh, wow, me at 56…

I hope I am at least as at peace with myself and as in love with life. I hope I have continued to buy myself flowers and coffee. And that I have already published what I wrote over coffee. I hope I have brought love and light to the people around me, and I hope I have set boundaries with those who brought me neither light, nor love, nor gratitude.

I hope I choose myself first. And that I only compromise for those who are important in my life. I hope I still see the world. That I drink my coffee in Paris, Madrid, Berlin, and anywhere else I want in the world.

I hope I don’t accept less than I deserve.

And I hope that I have allowed myself to show the world who I am inside and out through everything I create and everything I am, not because I feel I have something to prove, but because I don’t know how to exist any other way.

I admit, I hope I have found love. Although I know I am loved.

And I hope I have found my way. Whether I had a choice or not, I hope I have found my way. And that the road has kept me going.

I hope you are as happy as I am now. Because if there’s one thing I know how to do… it’s make myself happy. I hope that when you look back, you’ll feel that you’ve left something behind, that you’ve brought meaning to the lives of others. And when you look to the future, you’ll do so with confidence and hope.

You are the hope that keeps me going. And I thank you.