About Jana

Jana Bitterova is a dance artist, improviser, creative movement facilitator and shiatsu practitioner. Originally from Prague, she is currentely living in Cornwall and working within a Traineeship at the Dance department of Falmouth University . She completed her Master degree in Pedagogy of Contemporary Dance at Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava in Slovakia, where she studied in conducting under ones of the main personalities and funders of Slovak contemporary dance Anka Sedlačková (also Body-Mind Centering Practitioner) and Marta Poláková (also Laban Movement Analyst). Her professional interest in movement expression led her firstly to study Dance Research at Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, making her BA based on theoretical analyses and dance history. She continued her education focusing more on exploration of the moving body and somatic techniques, being a student of Milan Kozánek and Zuna Kozánková (Artyci Dance Company and www.shiatsu-terapie.sk) Subsequently she started to work internationally both in dance and other art forms, being a member of the Educational Department of Museum of Contemporary Art Mu-ZEE in Oostende (BE) and then she became an assistant in choreographic centre T.E.E.M. (FR). Meanwhile, she had an opportunity to meet in studios of such personalities of postmodern dance and improvisation such as Nancy Stark Smith, Lisa Nelson, Daniel Lepkoff, Ruth Zaporah, Julyen Hamilton, Frey Faust and others. Their propositions are important sources of inspiration for her work. One of her main interest lies in Contact improvisation, being a funder of Bratislava Contact improvisation and facilitating weekly Jams and now organising Wednesday Contact Improvisation Jams at Falmouth University. She enjoys connecting artistic work and introducing dance to people of all levels of experience; she led creative movement workshops for a range of participants from children (e.g. projects in primary schools) to people of an older generation.