Teresa Simas
Encyclopedia
Teresa Simas is a Portuguese
dancer and choreographer.
She made her professional debut as a soloist with Dança Grupo at the Teatro de S. Luís in Lisbon
at the age of 16. In 1988 she started her studies at the State Dance School of Kiev
in Ukraine
, working with professors such as Irina Kriptova, Evgueni Baukin, Vadim Fedotov and Valeria Ivanovna, with whom she studied the Vaganova technique. Teresa also studied Choreography at the University of Dramatic Arts in Moscow
. More recently, she worked on the Mézières Method with Elisabeth Gibiat and on the Cunningham technique at the Merce Cunningham Institute in New York
.
She worked at the Dietzki Musicalni Ballet with Natalia Satz, in Moscow, where she met choreographer Edvald Smirnov. It was at Smirnov's Russian Chamber Ballet where Teresa danced as a soloist from 1992 to 1994, dancing the principal roles in L'Arlesienne
and Nero and Seneca, among others. She assisted Smirnov for one year and recreated L'Arlesienne in Cheboksary Theatre.
In 1994, she returned to Portugal, working with CêDêCê and with the Companhia de Dança de Lisboa - where she worked as a rehearsal director and assisted Célia Gouveia, particularly on the creation of "Cabo da Boa Esperança". She also assisted the National Team of Rhythmic Gymnastics as a choreography adviser and Ballet teacher.
From 1996 to 2000 she danced as a soloist with the Gulbenkian Ballet under the direction of Iracity Cardoso, working on her repertoire and many new works with choreographers and ballet masters such as Ohad Naharin
, Angelin Preljocaj
, Meryl Tankard, Martino Müller, Rui Horta, Jiri Kilian, Olga Roriz, Itzik Galili, Clara Andermat, Rodrigo Pederneiras, Alphonse Poulin, Ivan Kramer, Jorge Garcia, Marie Chouinard
, Gilles Jobin and Vladimir Pankov.
Teresa moved to London
in August 2000, teaching at Bird College
and Millennium College as a Cunningham technique teacher. From January 2001 she worked with the Bare Bones Dance Company - working on new creations for a UK
tour with choreographers David Massingham, Akram Khan and Henri Oguike.
In January 2002, Teresa moved to Aix-en-Provence
, where she joined the Ballet Preljocaj, with whom she toured throughout the mainland, Eastern Europe
and the USA. She returned to Lisbon in September 2003, where she worked as a soloist with the Gulbenkian Ballet until July 2004.
Teresa initiated her choreographic work in Moscow and during 2001 her work was seen at the Purcell Room
at the South Bank and Momentum Choreography Festival in London as well as at the Almada International Choreography Platform in Portugal. It was at the very same festival that her new creation - named "Silêncio" - was premiered, in October 2004. A few months before, in August 2004, her choreography "Sappho" was seen in Estonia
, at the Kuressaare Kammermuusika Paevad. In February 2005, her new work "Senta-te" was premiered in Lisbon, at the Centro Cultural de Belém, in an evening dedicated to her work.
Her forthcoming projects include a new commission for the Portuguese dance company Dançarte, in April 2006.
Teresa speaks Portuguese
, Russian
, Spanish
, English
and French
. She also enjoys teaching, reading and writing.
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
dancer and choreographer.
She made her professional debut as a soloist with Dança Grupo at the Teatro de S. Luís in Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
at the age of 16. In 1988 she started her studies at the State Dance School of Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
in Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, working with professors such as Irina Kriptova, Evgueni Baukin, Vadim Fedotov and Valeria Ivanovna, with whom she studied the Vaganova technique. Teresa also studied Choreography at the University of Dramatic Arts in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
. More recently, she worked on the Mézières Method with Elisabeth Gibiat and on the Cunningham technique at the Merce Cunningham Institute in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
She worked at the Dietzki Musicalni Ballet with Natalia Satz, in Moscow, where she met choreographer Edvald Smirnov. It was at Smirnov's Russian Chamber Ballet where Teresa danced as a soloist from 1992 to 1994, dancing the principal roles in L'Arlesienne
L'Arlésienne
L'Arlésienne may refer to:*L'Arlésienne , musical works based on Georges Bizet's incidental music to Alphonse Daudet's play of the same name*L'arlesiana, an opera by Francisco Cilea...
and Nero and Seneca, among others. She assisted Smirnov for one year and recreated L'Arlesienne in Cheboksary Theatre.
In 1994, she returned to Portugal, working with CêDêCê and with the Companhia de Dança de Lisboa - where she worked as a rehearsal director and assisted Célia Gouveia, particularly on the creation of "Cabo da Boa Esperança". She also assisted the National Team of Rhythmic Gymnastics as a choreography adviser and Ballet teacher.
From 1996 to 2000 she danced as a soloist with the Gulbenkian Ballet under the direction of Iracity Cardoso, working on her repertoire and many new works with choreographers and ballet masters such as Ohad Naharin
Ohad Naharin
Ohad Naharin is an Israeli contemporary dancer, choreographer and dance company artistic director.-Biography:...
, Angelin Preljocaj
Angelin Preljocaj
Angelin Preljoçaj is a French dancer of Albanian origin and choreographer of contemporary dance.-Biography:His choreographic work is steeped in his writing of the history of classical ballet, but is resolutely contemporary...
, Meryl Tankard, Martino Müller, Rui Horta, Jiri Kilian, Olga Roriz, Itzik Galili, Clara Andermat, Rodrigo Pederneiras, Alphonse Poulin, Ivan Kramer, Jorge Garcia, Marie Chouinard
Marie Chouinard
Marie Chouinard, OC is a Canadian dancer, choreographer, and dance company director.-Company Background:In 1978 Chouinard presented her first work, Crystallization. After 12 years as a solo performer and choreographer, Chouinard founded her own company in 1990, the COMPAGNIE MARIE...
, Gilles Jobin and Vladimir Pankov.
Teresa moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in August 2000, teaching at Bird College
Bird College
Bird College of Dance, Music & Theatre Performance is an independent performing arts school and college, based in the Greater London suburb of Sidcup...
and Millennium College as a Cunningham technique teacher. From January 2001 she worked with the Bare Bones Dance Company - working on new creations for a UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
tour with choreographers David Massingham, Akram Khan and Henri Oguike.
In January 2002, Teresa moved to Aix-en-Provence
Aix-en-Provence
Aix , or Aix-en-Provence to distinguish it from other cities built over hot springs, is a city-commune in southern France, some north of Marseille. It is in the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, in the département of Bouches-du-Rhône, of which it is a subprefecture. The population of Aix is...
, where she joined the Ballet Preljocaj, with whom she toured throughout the mainland, Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
and the USA. She returned to Lisbon in September 2003, where she worked as a soloist with the Gulbenkian Ballet until July 2004.
Teresa initiated her choreographic work in Moscow and during 2001 her work was seen at the Purcell Room
Purcell Room
The Purcell Room is a concert and performance venue which forms part of the Southbank Centre, one of central London's leading cultural complexes. It is named after the 17th century English composer Henry Purcell and has 370 seats....
at the South Bank and Momentum Choreography Festival in London as well as at the Almada International Choreography Platform in Portugal. It was at the very same festival that her new creation - named "Silêncio" - was premiered, in October 2004. A few months before, in August 2004, her choreography "Sappho" was seen in Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
, at the Kuressaare Kammermuusika Paevad. In February 2005, her new work "Senta-te" was premiered in Lisbon, at the Centro Cultural de Belém, in an evening dedicated to her work.
Her forthcoming projects include a new commission for the Portuguese dance company Dançarte, in April 2006.
Teresa speaks Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
, Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
, Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
. She also enjoys teaching, reading and writing.