Curriculum Vitae

Curriculum Vitae

Christina Beskou had the great fortune to start her dance career at the Nelly Mazloum Calvo’s ballet school in Athens at the age of 12, where she studied with the Greek-Egyptian dance legend, Nelly Mazloum Calvo, and acquired a solid base for her future career, as a dancer, teacher and choreographer. At the age of 17 she set out for London to study at the Royal Academy of Dance and obtained the Diploma of the Advanced level, A.R.A.D. She studied the Martha Graham Technique with Karen Bell Kanner at the Place (London Contemporary Dance School), where she met Maria Fay, with whom she took Master Ballet classes and acquired her unique Floor Barre Technique. She is the only person in the profession who has been granted permission to teach and experiment with this specific unique technique. She started her teaching career as Maria’s assistant at the London Contemporary Dance Company and the Central School of Ballet in London.

She also attended numerous workshops with exceptional teachers all over the world.

She has been a guest teacher in schools and companies and has given many workshops internationally.

Dancer

She danced with Athens Ballet Theatre (1981-82), Susanne Reitz’s “Kinora” Dance Group (Amsterdam, 1982-84), Lia Meletopoulou Small Dance Theatre (Athens 1984-86), Angela Lyra’s Dance Company (Athens 1986-88), Athens Dance Company (Athens 1988), Dance Competition in Barcelona (Biennale 1987), and Seresta Dance Company (since 1989).

Instructor

She started her teaching career at “The Place” (London Contemporary Dance Theatre) as Maria Fay’s assistant, 1979 – 1980.

She has also taught in Amsterdam (Josette Baron’s Studio, 1984 – 1986). In Greece:  

Anna Petrova’s School of Dance, Ralou Manou Academy of Dance, Ergastiri Xorou (1986 – 1988), Athens Dance Centre (1987 – 1989), Morgianova –Trasta Dance School, State School of Dance Athens 2001, Sonia Michanou-Zakynthos 2001, CID Argos 2004, Dance Art Greece- Argalasti workshop 2006, Hydra - Dancing to the Gods 2007, Argalasti eudance-workshop 2007, CID Athens 2007, Dance Art Argalasti 2008, CID Athens2008, Argalasti Dance Art Greece-workshop2009, Thessaloniki, Liz Shawn dance school 2009.

Abroad:

Central School of Ballet U.K. 1987, Germany Kassel Dance Company 1996-98, La Viruta-Parana (Argentina), London: LA Fitness 2006, Berlin, Tom Fletcher Dance Centrum (2004 – 2006),   Austria, Salzburg, Ciba Academy 2006, Buenos Aires 2006, London: L.A. Fitness studio 2008.

For three years (1994-1996) she taught children in Hydra, forming a group of students and creating a source of artistic activities on the island. The children have performed with the Seresta Dance Company.

They have also passed their first examination of the Royal Academy of Dance in London (1996-1998).

She has also trained dancers to pass the examinations for the professional Dance Schools, as well as participate in dance competitions.

Choreographer

Coming back to Greece, she dances with various companies, starts choreographing, and founds her own non profit artistic organization, ‘Seresta Dance Company’.

In 1993 she established the Seresta Dance Studio to artistically support her company, and to share her experience with everybody who loves dance.

Since 1998 she has been involved in the study of the history and technique of the Argentinean Tango. The results of this were three productions: “Bar Sur”, “Café Concert”, and “Lifestyle”.

Christina’s main purpose is not only technique, which is absolutely necessary for the execution of her choreographies, but to develop her dancer’s personalities and their potentials as human beings.

She gives the opportunity to her dancers to become creative as professional choreographers, and to experiment on expressiveness and movements. Some of their choreographies have been included in Seresta’s productions.