Michaela Cisarikova
Michaela Cisarikova, born in Slovakia, is a UK based dance artist, choreographer and movement director who “is equally at home as an actor with a natural emotional range and as a dancer of contemporary and hip-hop movement" (Jo Tomalin, Fringe Review). She is also the Artistic Director of MCDC – Michaela Cisarikova Dance Company, which she founded in 2014.
She has become a prominent voice on the UK dance scene, and is now an associate artist of Walker’s 201 Dance Company. She was a dancer in 201’s break-through hit ‘SMOTHER’ and took the lead role, touring across the UK in the company’s second show ‘SKIN’. Michaela’s ‘aLove Story’ was the first ever site-specific work performed at Breakin’ Convention, Sadler’s Wells in 2017 and since then Michaela has produced and performed across the UK, Europe, Chicago & Kenya.
Michaela's unique style fuses elements of contemporary dance, physical theatre and a mixture of Hip Hop styles. “The way Michaela dances and tells a story is quite remarkable. You can literally feel it oozing from her” – Theatre Full Stop
Michaela achieved a first class BA (HONS) Degree in Dance Education at Canterbury Christ Church University, where she began to train in contemporary dance and discovered South Asian Dance Styles, African Dance and Dance Science. Later on She went on to achieve the Jasmin Vardimon PGCertificate in physical theatre; where the combination of character, narrative and physical theatre methods perfectly matched her own interests.
Whilst in Education she performed and trained with local companies such us Cascade Dance, IVIVI, Canterbury Scratch Orchestra & Dance United,
Her extensive performance career includes: Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2015/16/17, Breakin’ Convention at Sadler’s Wells, Resolution, Protein Dance, 201 Dance Company, Spoken Word and others.
Michaela is experienced in different styles of dance from Ballet, through African into Krump. She focuses on Contemporary and Hip Hop Dance Theatre, where she finds strength, passion and space for expanding and exploring new possibilities and allowing herself to add her personal characteristics as a performer to open the audiences heart.
"Michaela Cisarikova who exudes the most heart through her dancing."
Michaela Cisarikova is utterly beguiling. The way she dances and tells a story is quite remarkable. You can literally feel it oozing from her.
"Michaela Cisarikova plays the main character. She is equally at home as an actor with a natural emotional range and as a dancer of contemporary and hip-hop movement."
SKIN
This is not my body. This is not my body. This is not my body. This is not my body.
After the sell-out international tour of Smother, 201’s award-winning hip-hop theatre returns with SKIN: a boy’s intimate journey of gender transition to discover a body that feels like home.
Fusing urban and contemporary styles with an original score, choreographer Andrea Walker directs a cast of 7 dancers in a fast paced, emotionally driven story of family, identity and belonging.
★★★★★ “201 have created a masterpiece of human sensitivity” - EdFringe Review
★★★★★ “Thrilling...Thought provoking” - The Wee Review
★★★★★ “Beautiful...Uplifting” - Voice Mag UK
★★★★ "Packs an emotional punch,steering Hip Hop into fresh territory" - The Times
SMOTHER
Can you stay true to yourself, when everything suggests you change? 201’s raw, contemporary hip-hop returns in Smother: a story of two men's broken encounter.
This groundbreaking production touches on themes of addiction, obsession, and the meaning of commitment. Choreographer Andrea Walker directs a cast of seven dancers in a fast-paced, intimate performance, exploring the relationship of two young men.
★★★★★ "UNPARALELLED BEAUTY...A striking dystopian fairytale reminiscent of Jamie Brittain's Skins" - EdFest Magazine
★★★★★ "OUTSTANDING CHOREOGRAPHY...Powerful, detailed and very relatable" - Edinburgh49
★★★★ "Takes hip-hop into thrillingly new terrain" - The Guardian
★★★★ "This is the new generation of street dance" - The Times
I LOVE MYSELF, DO YOU?
“I love myself, do you?” is MCDC’s first full-length production exploring the old Cherokee fable of two wolves fighting within you. One is good, the other is evil. Which one wins? The one you feed.
Fusing contemporary dance, physical and hip-hop theatre, Michaela directs three female dancers with incredible physicality that transform personal stories of beauty, identity and self-worth that feels fundamentally universal, all with a vibrant original score composed by Ross Allchurch. Raw, outstanding visuals are shrouded in an enormous, silky yellow skirt that covers the entirety of the stage. The use of light enables stunning shadow imagery creating mesmerising visuals throughout.
“Definitely a choreographer to watch, Cisarikova’s I Love Myself, Do You? awakens its audience to its senses, and invites us to self-consciously consider the demons we ourselves must fight or surrender to.” Dance Journal
“Control and entrapment with a physicality which is quite breath - taking” The Place Review
Michaela Cisarikova, brought a compelling visual appeal to the simple black box..." Graham Watts, The Place Review
PARANOID ABOUT OUR ORIGINS
Dancers from other dimensions showcase how to party in 3031. They arriving to Green/Light to celebrate their differences and represent their nations by gathering together, dancing and socialising at the ball-inspired party. Characters finding basic human interaction and connections between themselves and the audience. Will you join them?
The work experiments with historical medievil and pavan dances, fusing elements of contemporary dance, hip-hop and costume design to create fascinating otherworldly characters. The work blends past, present and future characteristics of the world as we know it.
“…dancers were captivating, futuristic, welcoming into the incredible sci-fi dance fantasy and engaged with the audience and invited individuals to partake in the dance with them. This led to an emotional ending where children and adults of all ages danced with each other creating a wonderful image of togetherness.”
aLove Story
aLove Story takes you on a journey we can all relate to. In a digital age, this piece explores the attachment love can bring.
Are we more devoted to gadgets than our loved ones, seeking positive reinforcement and emotional attachment from our phones in place of other human beings?
The work has been performed at Breakin' Convention at Sadler's Wells, Camberwell Arts Festival at Longfield Hall and The Blue Elephant Theatre.
aLove Story is a first site - specific work showcased at Breakin' Convention.
"Breakin' Convention it’s a platform for big personalities and amazing moves"
THE INDEPENDENT
