Maria da Luz Ghoumrassi

Education

About me

Maria Ghoumrassi is a choreographer, dancer, educator and movement director working through multidisciplinary techniques from around the world to develop Intercultural Awareness Performance.

 She has worked with various companies including the original cast of The Lion King. She was Movement director for BBC3 The Mighty Boosh and performed her work in venues such as The Place, Greenwich Dance; Rose Bruford College and Camden People’s Theatre, produced by ‘Pan Centre for Intercultural Arts’.  

Maria da Luz is recipient of The Trailblazers Fellowship, ADAD Dance UK and was shortlisted for the Place Prize in 2004.
As Associate Artist with ‘Spare Tyre Theatre Company’ she mentors, choreographs and performs with adults with learning disabilities. Works created have been showcased at Tara Arts, The Roundhouse, The New Diorama Theatre and The Albany. She draws from contemporary, ballet, hip-hop, jazz and Africanist movement.

Maria da Luz was selected for Dance UK’s Dance Teaching Mentorship 2015/16 working with Kerry Nicholls, supported by Trinity Laban and was awarded a ‘Dancers Career Development’ Retraining Grant in 2016 to continue her choreographic development and establish Maria Ghoumrassi’s Dance Company. She has recently worked with Peta Lily, “Border Crossings” and interdisciplinary artists Jan Lee and Jacky Lansley.

Maria da Luz enjoys collaborating with various artists and disciplines and has performed for Turner Prize nominee, Anthea Hamilton’s Magazine Sessions Sackler Gallery, Lito Kattou and Leonor Serrano Rivas and composer Dorothy Lee.

She was resident artist at The Dance Research Studio researching her new choreographic project exploring infertility, being/not being a mother and identity supported by the Arts Council England. She was shortlisted for The Dance Ideas Enterprise Fund 2017.
Maria da Luz is resident artist at Trip Space Projects to continue her research into her project in June 2017.
Additional skills:
Singer/voice work
Foys Flying,
Translator, Interpreter
Additional information:
Extensive experience in working with professionals and non professionals, all ages including babies and toddlers, children, older people and Special Education Needs, actors and professional dancers.
Formal and informal settings


Supporting artist:
Dancer, performer, choreographer, movement director, singing and acting skills, voice over
Acting experience:
mostly performing
Dancing experience:
BA Hons Dance Theatre Trinity Laban,
Original Cast of Lion King, ensemble Dance Captain
Dancer for various companies including London College of Fashion, Frieze Art Fair, Serpentine Gallery and Tate Modern
Dance teacher: creative dance, dance techniques, working with various grouped including children and adults of diverse abilities
Singing experience:
Lion King Ensemble, Alto, singer
Own creation
Television experience:
As performer and dancer
Additional skills:
Speaker of Portuguese (native speaker), Cape Verdean Creole, Conversational French and Italian (and basic writing)
Postgraduate Diploma in Bilingual Translation Portuguese-English
My interests:
Dance, theatre, performance, science, expressive arts, filming, writing

License & Passport

Skills

Languages Spoken	English, French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish
Dance Styles	African dance styles, Afro-Caribbean, Afro-Cuban, Ballet, Bollywood, Capoeira, Commercial, Contemporary, Disco, Flamenco, Freestyle/Improvisation, Hip Hop, House, Jazz, Latin American, Modern, Pilates, Popping, Salsa, Samba, Street Dance, Waacking
Vocal Types	Alto
Singing Styles	Adult Contemporary
Musical Skills	Tambourine
Organisations / Memberships	Equity (UK), NDTA
Work Permits	EU