Christina Klissiouni is a contemporary dance/improvisation instructor, performer, choreographer and body psychotherapist. Her work focuses on the exploration of movement and therapy aiming towards embodiment, self-awareness and self-expression. The training of the body of the dancer/performer is based on Somatic practices, Contact Improvisation, Release techniques and Contemplative Movement. Since 1986 she has been working in Greece and abroad training amateurs and professionals. She introduced Contact Improvisation/Somatics in Greece in 1990-1 returning from her 4-year stay in New York where she studied with the pioneers of contemporary dance (Merce Cunningham), Somatic practices and Contact Improvisation. Since then she has been developing her own methodology in movement/expression training always applying the knowledge she gained after a long career as an active and recognized CI member and teacher in the international community.
She has taught/danced at the most important CI festivals in Europe, America and Asia, such as Freiburg CI Festival, Israel CI Festival, Paris, London, Italy CI Festival, Grenoble CI Festival and many more. She has presented her teaching and performance work in the form of intensive workshops at various cities such as London, Oslo, St. Petersburgh, Nuremberg, Tubingen, Rome, Paris, Nantes, Istanbul and other places. Since 1991, she has been organizing choreographic work, improvisation performances, workshops, retreats, in Greece, leaving a significant mark on the development of the participants. She has collaborated with many distinguished teachers/performers from the international CI community, co-teaching, organizing workshops and creating performance work. In 2009 she opened Present Body Studio in Athens, where she teaches regular classes and invites guest teachers from other countries.
At the same time, for 25 years now, she has been working as an Embodied Psychotherapist and Gestalt Therapist. She is an active member of PESOPS and EABP (European Association of Body Psychotherapists). She was educated at the E.I.N.A. (Psychoanalytic approach based on Wilhelm Reich's theory). She completed 2 two-year Master Courses with distinguished trainers-therapists, Alberto Torre (Italy) and Barry Simmons (Gestalt technique, from USA). She has been trained as a Body Psychotherapy supervisor by Jenovino Ferri (Italy).
She currently trains in Cranio-Sacral Therapy (Upledger Institute) and Trauma Therapy according to the Narm system approach based on Lawrence Heller, arguing that the apprenticeship needs to be a lifelong process.
Since 1994 she has been working as a Shiatsu practitioner, a practice she creatively applies to movement and therapy groups.
Since 1997 Suprapto Suryodarmo (Amerta Movement, Indonesia) has been a very important mentor, dance partner, spiritual teacher for her. The study of Contemplative movement supports all the facets of her work in a creative and holistic way. Its meditative aspect enhances self-awareness and connection to oneself, bringing a sense of healing and spirituality through the experience of free form movement physicality.
Improvisation explores the expression of the imagination, one's instinct, dancing his/her altered emotional states of being. It offers an open framework, so that the individual is mirrored through continuous interaction with the environment, experimenting with space, time, energy and the personal stories imprinted in his/her body.
Interview of Christina Klissiouni by Yiannis Karounis (performer, choreographer), in the context of the Athens Video Dance Project (AVDP tv):
By Myself But Not Alone - A Contact Improvisation Video
Filmed and directed by Srik Narayanan during the Freiburg CI Festival 2014
Gallery:
