Maria Sauerland
dancer - performer - choreographer
based in Hamburg and Cologne
Artistic statement
Hi, my name is Maria Sauerland and I am a dancer, a musician, an artist and an activist.
I started dance classes when I was seven years old, same time with my piano lessons. I grew up in a house with a big garden and a lot of apple trees. Nature and my family full of musicians surrounded me.
When I was 18 years old, I started my professional training as a dancer, first in Berlin and then in Cologne. Then a Yoga education. During studying, I also went to the dance university in Istanbul for one semester. Later I volunteered for social projects in Izmir and Bethlehem.
In my dance training program in Berlin I especially loved the tough physical trainings in various dance styles, that made me sweaty and breathless. When I came to Cologne I enjoyed the strong focus on somatics, such as KLEIN technique, Alexander technique and Feldenkrais. This became a foundation for my spiritual approach to dance and movement, that is also inviting us to connect, as dancers and as living beings, on a nonverbal, energetical level. Also I feel a strong longing for engaging in socio-political discussions with my art and artists surrounding me.
In the last three years, I worked both in projects with other choreographers and on my own projects, solo and in collaboration.
My personal movement practice is a combination of dance training, somatics, improvisation, creation and movement research. I like improvising to psychological, and spiritual podcasts. And I love working with musicians to find a common energy and communication together.
I am still burning and longing for training, sweating, acrobatics, partnering, somatics and movement research.
But my strongest intention for my profession is to combine art and activism.