BIO

Sofia Kakouri was born in 1986 and grew up in Heraklion, Crete, where she began dancing at the age of three. She has received two awards in the contemporary dance category from the National Competition Terpsichoris Erga. In 2010, she graduated from the Hellenic State School of Dance (KSOT).

Since 2012, she has been based in Brussels, Belgium, working as a freelance performance artist, dancer-choreographer, and sound maker. Sofia is continuously exploring and developing her personal approach to dance and performance.

Her artistic research focuses on the interrelationship between body movement and sound. She incorporates pocket trumpet, voice, and various objects into her performances. Her work spans experimental and improvisational performances, research projects, event organization, and workshops, often in collaboration with musicians, multimedia and multidisciplinary artists, and collectives.

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Curent projects & work experience:

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Solo performances:

• Pocket Danse in the process of creation. Where everything begins with the body: impulse, sound, the unexpected. A material, woven between dance, breath, sound and voice...

Presentations: 

• 27.05.23 Solo at LADYFEST BXL 2023, at the cultural center Jacques Fanck

• 21.03.24 Solo as part of the evening of Kakouri/Jacquemyn/Stokart at Cobra Jaune, Bxl

• 26.03.24 Solo in an evening of ZO! vzw at Zonneklopper, Bxl

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Performance making with Peter Jacquemyn:

Since 2013 Belgium, Germany, Italy, Greece, Nederlands, Poland, Portugal

Regularly rehearsing, organising ZO! events, performing and experimenting on/through diverse practices, spaces, forms, graphic scores and castellations. Ongoing process. "If not now when? If not we who?" "Do just Do" Several projects such as: "You move I move We meet", "Broken Bells", "Here We Are - Love&Struggle", Bass&Voices", "String Things and More" at diverse events and festivals, exhibitions, art centres, galeries, museums, scenes, such as:

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• 04.10.18: Trio with Geraldo Si - S.M.A.K contemporary art center of Gent

• 14-18.11.18/19-22.11.21/24-27.11.22: ROOM Service - Kunsthaus-Rhenania, Köln

• 10.05.19/12.10.19/03.12.22: Duo for Nuits BeauTas Festival - Le Lac, Grand Hospice Brussels

• 15.06.19/10.08.19/03.06.20/21.08.22: Crude Saturday/ solo video project/ 1st&3rd Anniversary of TiC TaC Art center Brussels

• 26-8.09.19: Choreographer assistante and performers for Davis Freeman show "It all comes out at night" and Duo perf. "Broken Bells" - Germinal Festival, Cão Danado, at Famalicao, Portugal

• 20.09.19: "Music&Dance" project 5dancers&5 musiciens such as: Gunda Gottschalk, Patrick Hagen, Ute Völker, Felix Bürkle, Kenji Takagi, Jean Laurent Sasportes - Ört, Peter Kowald Gesellschaft Wuppertal

• 08.12.19: Suoni Senza Confine, collaboration with Lelio Gianneto and his collective Curva Minore for the 2nd edition of Bam, Biennale Archipelago Mediterraneo - Selinunte, Sicily, It

• 30.08.20: Duo for the 11°Rallye 04Jazz au fil de l'eau, festival - Liege

• 17.10.20/21.04.22/19.11.22: "Triple Fish" for the XIV Międzynarodowy, Gombrowiczowski Festival - Theatre Powszechny, Poland / for the exhibition of P.J. with Pierre Michel Zaleski - Chauteau Jolimont, Bxl / for Resonare festival - PLOEF, Brussels

• 17.01.19/17.09.21/29.10.22: BASS&VOICES - Quintet, working with the graphic scores of P.J. - Cypres gallery, Leuven/Linéair art gallery, Dilbeek/Liberale Kring, Ninove

• 13.08.22: performing for JazzBlazzt, Free Music Fiëst 2.0, IMPRO Festival - Limburg

• 29-31.07.22: Performances and workshop "Tools for Actions" for FreeFlowFest '22, SHARE Impro - Graven, It

• 25.03.23: Performance Quartet with Frank van de Ven and Emilie de Vlam, Zonneklopper, Bxl

• 10.05.23: Duo "Here We Are" at - TOUR&Taxis, Bxl

• 16,17,18.05.23: Improvisation Performance guests for Tanz/Raum/Musik,Ima Koko Watashi ( Now,Here,Where am I) 今ここ私,2023 Chikako Kaido, Tetsu Saitoh, Lê Quan Ninh, Gunda Gottschalk, Yoann Jouneau, Kristin Schuster, Antonio Stella. at Wuppertal ( with extra performers such as Jean Laurent Sasportes), Bxl & Liege

• 23.09.23 Trio with Peter and Jan Pillaert for the event STELLING -nocturnes at Blikfabriek, Antwerp

• 22.09.23 quintet with Peter, Gregoire Tirtiaux, PM Zaleski & Andres Navarro Garcia in the framework of Petr's exhibition Drawing First at OSK ART Gallery, Dilbeek

• 20.10.23 with Peter, Gregoire Tirtiaux & Jan Pillaert at Haekem theatre, Bxl

• 29.10.23 Quintet with Peter, Geraldo Si, Gregoire Tirtiaux &Jan Pillaert for the finissage of Peter's exhibition Drawing First at OSK ART Gallery, Dilbeek

• 3.10.24 Performance evening: IMPRO TIME! with Peter Jacquemyn, Frank van de Ven, Emilie de Vlam, and guests Sofia Kakouri en Pe Vermeersch. Delvoer, Gent

• 13.04.25 quartet with Peter, PM Zalseski & Jean-Luc Cappozzo at Parazzar, Brugge

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Performance making with Lazara Rossel Albear and T.A.E.O.B - The Art Ensemble Of Brussels is a collective of improvisers living and working in Brussels, Since 2015: they have formed many different constellations over the course of different projects. The group is made up of individuals who each have their own particularity. They concentrate their research on technique and develop a great talent for instantaneous composition and performative action. What they propose is a convergence of the performative arts, the visual arts, noise and contemporary music, creating sensitive and resonant sound spaces in the process:

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• 8.11.15: Duo "Pockets" with Lazara Rossel Albear on Son Libérés Festival - Quincaillerie des temps présent, Brussels

• 19.12.15: Duo "Pockets" and Winter Damage - Haekem, Brussels

• 20.05.17 + 15.09.19: Big ensemble for the Journées du Patrimoine "Un lieu pour l'art" - Ateliers Mommen, Brussels

• 21.06.17: Big ensemble - PLOEF, Brussels

• 07.01.18: Big ensemble for the exhibition of Rita McBride "Something stronger than me" - WIELS contemporary art center, Brussels

• 20.01.19: Big ensemble with Audrey Lauro (alto sax, voice), Sofia Kakouri (performance, pocket trumpet), Pierre Michel Zaleski (vocal performance), Jan Pillaert (tuba), Lazara Rosell Albear (drums, pocket trumpet), Guillaume Maupin (vocal interpretation), Peter Jacquemyn (contrebass), Irina Lavrinovic (performance),     Marijs Boulogne (Costumes),     Jan Dekeyser (Set design & Lights), Johan Vandermaelen (Sound recording) for KANAL-BRUT - centre Pompidou, Brussels

• 19.10.19: Big ensemble for the 10 years of PLOEF! - Brussels

• 07.07.21: Duo "Pockets" - TROUBLE Festival, studio Thor, Brussels

• 26.08.21: Trio with Lazara R.A. and Audrey Lauro - SUMMER BUMMER Festival at de Studio, Antwerp

• 12.05.22: Duo "Pockets" - Zonneklopper, Brussels

• 01.12.22: Big ensemble - PLOEF, Brussels

• 05.02.25 Taeob with guest Paed Conça at Ateliers Mommen, Bxl

 

Performance making with: with WORP_cross media improvising collective/ Sichtlaut

Since 2018, Belgium, Nederland, Germany: 

Concerts made from ​

INcluster Brussels Improvisers

Free sound improvisation orchestra based in Brussels:

• 22.06.23 in the frame of the Expo ZKcollective at Zonneklopper, Bxl

• 03.09.23 at Roskot festival from Atelier Claus, Aalst

• 10.12.24 at the Studio Grez, Bxl

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Other Work experience:

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• 4.02.24 Musique et Danse Improvisée Performance as a guest of : LES CANARIS DES MINES with Pierre BERNARD, Paula DEFRESNE, Chantal LEVIE at L'Armande, Liege
   

Performances with Dance Kapot

Since 2022, Dans Kapot transforms the concert into rebellion, play and celebration. The musicians of Don Kapot collaborate with dancers combining these two components, dance and music. They create a stage experience that invites the audience to take an active part. It's punk, meaning rebellious, young and rather unsophisticated. It's funk, meaning full of groove, extroverted and flamboyant. Shows:

• 7, 14.07/ 19, 25, 28.08 for "OPEN Streets22" festival in Brussels

Creation 2023/24 with the support of JAZZ LAB, KAAP, ULTIMA VEZ, W.E.R.F.Records, Culture centrum Zaventem: "A small world" WORK IN PROGRESS DATES: 

• 19/11/2023 - JAZZ BRUGGE (Concertgebouw, Brugge)

• 26/11/2023 - BRAND! (Kunstencentrum NONA, Mechelen)

• 27/4/2023 - CC de Werf (Aalst)
   

• 18.10.23 Trio Grumô Cha! Sof performance with Alice Bosque & le Cha! ...son et mouvement autour d'une goutte d'eau... at Haekem theatre, Bxl
   

• 06-07.2016 + '18: TREFFEN TOTAL,
  research on collaborations between 26 Artistes such us Rita Natalio, Jenny Beyer, Urisna Tossi, Pavlos Kountouriotis, Jin Young Park among others. Open studios & Performances. Research on Humanimals Dance Dialogues, Residency in K3 Tanzplan - Hamburg/Ge
   

• ​06.17: TOTAL 2017,research with Jin Young Park, Nuno Luca, Tobias Gronau, Pavlos Kountouriotis with publique performance <Fragments of experience> and open workshops - Humanimals Dance Dialogues, Residency in Seoul Dance center, Seoul/S.Korea

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• 20.07.17: Nam June Paik art center, [Opening Performance] SUDDEN THEATER: Our Bright Future-Cybernetic Fantasy, Seoul/S.Korea

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• 8-10.10.16: FreeFlowFest2016,
  performances with 20 international artists and music improvisers such us: Carlo Mascolo, Carlo Zingaro “itinerant of improvised music”,Abdul Moimeme, Sylvia Corda+masterclass for local dancers "Humanimals Dance Dialogues"by Sofia with presentation on the fest, Irsina/Italy

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• 24.07 – 12.09.2015: Hawila Project,
  international Eco –living with 30 artists&scientistes, in a cargo-boat as a platform for artistic experiences&researches.First "Humanimals dance dialogues" workshop proposal, “Jam sessions in Sea Minor”,POETIC VIDEOs with Alina Constantin, Live Art Installation Sufi Science aboard Hawila in collaboration with Pipaluk and the Indian dancers and sufi music in urban spaces with Abhilash Ningappa, Deepak Kurki Shivaswamy among others, Copenhagen/Denmark

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• 1.11-6.12.2014 + 11.2018: Dead Dance Zone Dancer for the multimédia project by Yolanda Gutierrez &projects on [K] Kampnagel and MARKK museum, Hamburg/Ge

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Education -Qualification: 

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2010: Graduated from the State School of Dance - KSOT in Athens/Gr:(Classic ballet/ M.Graham/ Release/ Partnering/Choreography/ Rhythmic (Dalcroze)/ Cunningham
 

2018: RUH Yoga teacher -200H

Bangalore -India 
 

Awards:  

• Second prize for the group choreography by the school of Clairy Gouvianaki for contemporary dance category for the National Greek contest of Τερψυχώρης Έργα/ Heraklion, 2002. 

• First prize for the Solo choreography by the school of Clairy Gouvianaki for contemporary dance category for the Cretan contest of Τερψυχώρης Έργα/Heraklion,2003. 

• Award for the Solo choreography: Ilusions, interpreted by Natali Mandila, at KSOT – Open studio#7, Athens, 2010 
   

Further education, Master-Classes - Workshops:

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• Meg Stuart &Mark Tomkins: at TicTac Art center 1-5 March 2021

• Iva Bittova: at TicTacArt center Aug 2020 

• Horacio Macuacua: at TicTacArt center Feb 2020

• Edivaldo Ernesto: at TicTacArt center Jan 2020

• Genovieve Holvoet &… 

• Trumpet Master classe with Laurent Blondieu, at TrompetMania June 2018

• Marie-Sophie Talbot: Voice workshop, Sysmo,music studio StGilles/2018 

• Sunmudo: Korean meditative martial art, 1-8 Aug 2017 Golgulsha temple/south-Korea

• Katsugen with Ai Suzuki: since 2017, Bxl 

• 2014 – 2017: Musical Improvisation, Music formation, Pocket-Trumpet studies in the Academy of Etterbeek beside Michel Massot, in Bxl/Be 

• David Zambrano: “Passing Through” week master class et performance Early birds, studio Belgica aux LODGE, 14-18 Mars ’16, + at Dancentrum Jette 2015 Bxl/Be

• Sten Rudstrom: “Performance Tactics 2” week master class  et performance- “WhiteWallsGrayFloorBlackCurtain”, Mime Centrum, 22-29 Aug ’15, Berlin/Ge

• Frank Van de Ven: Body Meets Imagination in Cartago Delenda Est studio, 2014, Bxl  

• Linda Kapetanea & Jozef Frucek: Fighting Monkey, at Ultima Vez studio, 2014, Bxl + partnering and contemporary dance at K.S.O.T. 2006-2010 Athens/GR

• Inaki Azpillaga, Muriel Herault, David Lorenc: Vandekeybus vocabulary, 2013, Bxl

• Juliana Neves: Les Ballets C de la B vocabulary, Studio S3, Gent

• Peter Jasko: Rhythm class, Garage 29

• Gyohei Zaitsu: Butoh dance at Ateliers Mommen,2012,Bxl 

• Abel&Junko Coelho: Butoh Dance au Byrh “Weaves project” 2012, Bxl

• Tai Chi chouan: depuis 2016, Bxl

• Contact Improvisation since 2008:
  Jams, performances and workshops with Alain Montembran, Ralf Jaroschinski, Anne Dolores de Marcelis, Tommy Russo, Stephanie Auberville, Andreas Andronikidis

• 2013- 2016: Improvisations vocals ateliers with Jean Michel van Schouwburg, the Cosmophonics and the Inaudibles collective, Bxl/Be

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Skills & Hobbies:

Dance, Improvisation, martial-arts, action theatre, aerials, somatic practices

Sound making: Pocket-trompet, Vocals, Percussions, Objects

Creativity

Collective awareness/intelligence, Teamwork

Adaptability

Yoga and movement instructor

Dancing in Adventurous travel's, exploring life and wild nature

Swimming, Biking, Drawing, Walking, Cooking, Tracking, Climbing, Horse-Back Riding

Collective Living,  Organising events, workshops and JAM’s

"HUMANIMALS DANCE DIALOGUES": it's a research workshop based on the dialogue between movement and sound, interior and exterior, individual entity and collective, composition and improvisation. It's an open form of dance, where everybody explores its own body movement and voice, in combination with the group, the space and the time. Through specific warm- up exercises - scores - and collective experiences we practice and explore improvisation...
This workshop has been proposed in research projects and events such as:

Hawila project 2015 +2016 / Treffen Total'16+'18 / Total 2017/ 123 BokallRoyal 2016 / LAMAB 2018 / Soma dance studio 2019/FreeFlowFest2016

+ 2022 "TOOLS for ACTIONS".