About Me - Dance Company Story

seamlessly blends practice and theory in his choreography and teaching. He holds a PhD from Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam, titled Embodied Lines, which explored the body’s connection to lines and movement. With an MA from Das Choreography in Amsterdam (formerly AMCH) and a BFA from the University of Utah, Michael has opened doors at the university level for artistic research and experimental choreography.

His solo premiere work a waiting dog dies earned him Vienna’s ‘dancer to watch’ in Ballet Tanz Magazine 2008 yearbook edition. Michael’s other choreographic works, You are the Subject of my Seeing, A General Theory of Love, TERTIARY, Moving Around X, and Moving Around X:the x of y, have been presented at TanzQuarteir Wien (TQW), ImpulsTanz, WUK, BRUT, Burgenland Tanztage, DansMakers, as well as off- spaces. In 2014 his piece TERTIARY was nominated for the Prix d’Jardin in the 8:Tension series at the ImpulsTanz Festival. His drag persona Jai Jai Sincere also performed an adaptation of DeborahHay’s NEWS at Impulstanz in 2011.

Since 2009 Michael is a facilitator for the Field organization which teaches artists how to give feedback. He has received a variety of residency scholarships from institutions like ImpulsTanz, TQW, OMI in New York and The Place in London as a Carte Blanche participant of the ModulDance program. Michael was a long time company member with Cie. Willi Dorner from 2003-2010 performing in a variety of stage works and setting the renowned piece Bodies in Urban Spaces in over 30 cities.

In 2011 Michael also premiered his work at TQW. Michael has taught creative practice and contemporary technique as guest faculty at SNDO and the new MA program COMMA in The Netherlands, Arizona State University, SEAD, Danish School of Performing Arts, Fontys Dance Academy Tilburg and University of Music and Performing Arts Frankfurt, He has also taught at San Diego State University, Henny Jurriens Foundation, Marameo and DOCK 11in Berlin. DanceUmbrella in London, Philly Live Arts and Tanz in August among others. In 2012, Michael taught with neuroscientist Corinne Jola the workshop Technologies of Love at ImPulsTanz.

He has presented his research on the intersection of neuroscience and dance in festivals in Germany, Portugal, UK, and the Netherlands. Michael has also worked with David Zambrano, Deborah Hay, Georg Blaschke, Alain Buffard, Paul Wenninger, Barbara Kraus, Theatrecombinat, and Neils Weijer. He was a research fellow at THIRD DAS Graduate School from 2018-2022.