Neel Jansen
Director of Lit Dance Tanzschule & Company - Choreographer and teacher
" While I dance I can not judge, I can not hate, I can not separate myself from life. I can only be joyful and whole. This is why I dance” -Hans Bos
Neel Jansen was born in Belgium and trained as a classical and contemporary dancer at the Royal School of Antwerp. In 2001, he received a scholarship from the Jeunes Ballet d'Europe (Aix-en-Provence) and the Rosemarie Stuzzi-Thomi Foundation (Basel), which allowed him to complete his training at the Rudra Béjart School in Lausanne. He was selected by Maurice Béjart to join his company, Béjart Ballet Lausanne, where he danced for almost ten years and worked with figures such as Gil Roman, Joost Vrouenraets, Étienne Béchard, Azari Plisetsky, and Julio Arozarena. With the company, he toured internationally, enriching his vision of dance and other cultures.
In 2010 he joined the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz in Munich, working with numerous contemporary choreographers such as William Forsythe, Edward Clug, Alexander Ekman, Marco Goecke, Christian Spuck, etc. This allowed him to develop his own choreographic language.
Since 2010, he has created choreographic works both solo and with Graciela Martínez, including "Il était une fois à Shanghai" for the Shanghai Expo, "Vivaldi Reloaded" with the Zurich Chamber Orchestra and Daniel Hop.
In 2017, he settled in Switzerland as a dancer, teacher, and choreographer, where he teaches classical and contemporary dance at Tanzwerk 101, the University of Zurich, and at the Contemporary Dance Baccalaureate at the Zurich Conservatory of Performing Arts (ZHdK). In addition to being co-director of Lit Dance Tanzschule and Lit Dance Company in Switzerland, he works as an international teacher and choreographer in Switzerland, Spain, and Belgium at studios such as The Place Dance Studio and CaraB Danza in Madrid.
Graciela Martínez Arribas
Director of Lit Dance Madrid
“Dance is the hidden language of the soul” ― Martha Graham
Graciela Martínez Arribas was born in Madrid in 1982, where she studied at the Mariemma Professional Dance Conservatory. In 1998, she won first prize at the Torrelavega National Competition, and in 1999, she won first prize at the Zaragoza International Competition. In 2001, she received a scholarship to dance with the Ballet des Jeunes d'Europe in Aix-en-Provence, under the direction of Jean Charles Gil, and shortly afterward, she joined the English National Ballet in London.
She later joined the Leipzig Theatre Ballet, directed by Uwe Scholz. In 2004, she signed her first contract as a soloist with the Nice Opera Ballet.
In 2007, she worked under the direction of Richard Wherlock at the Basel Ballet, and later joined the Aterballetto/Fondazione Nazionale della Danza ensemble, directed by Cristina Bozzolini and Mauro Bigonzetti. In 2011, she was hired by the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz in Munich, where she gave birth to her first child and earned her qualification as a Basi Pilates floor and machine instructor.
Throughout his career he has worked with choreographers such as Mauro Bigonzetti, Ohad Naharin, Uwe Scholz, Mauricio Wainrot, Karl Schreiner, Hans Henning Paar, Erna Ómarsdóttir, among others.
Thanks to this diversity of experiences, companies, and styles, Graciela has developed her own identity as a choreographer and teacher. In 2020, she took over the direction of Lit Dance Tanzschule, located in central Switzerland, alongside Neel Jansen.
She holds a degree in Choreography and Performing Arts from the Maria de Avila School of Dance in Madrid, and has taught at institutions such as the ETH Zurich University, Tanzwerk 101, and Danza 180, among others.
In 2020, together with Neel Jansen, she received support from the Canton of Aarau and the Swiss Ministry of Culture to form her own company, called Lit Dance Company.
Aliana Pizzi
Classical dance and pointe teacher - choreographer
Practice like you've never won. Perform like you've never lost"
Aliana Pizzi was born in Paris and began her classical dance studies in Madrid at the Luis Fuente Dance Academy. Fuente became a key figure in her training and inspired her to make ballet an integral part of her life. She completed her professional training at the Royal Conservatory of Dance in Madrid.
Throughout her time as a student, she received recognition in various competitions, including those in Torrelavega and Zaragoza. In 2002, she received a scholarship to join the Europe Dance Company, a project aimed at young European artists, as well as a grant from the Spanish Ministry of Culture and Education to launch her international career.
Her professional career has spanned important European companies such as the Deutsche Oper Berlin, under the direction of Sylvian Bayard; the Staatsballett Berlin, with Vladimir Malakhov; and the Theater & Philharmonie Thüringen, directed by Ivailo Iliev.
As a freelance dancer, she has participated in numerous projects in Spain, Italy, and Switzerland, collaborating with prominent choreographers such as Amador Castilla, Paolo Mohovich, Pascal Touzeau, and Noelle Kuhn, among others.
Since 2012, Aliana has also taught ballet at various schools in the Zurich and Aargau region, including ASVZ at ETH Zurich. She has also coached competitive dancers and figure skaters.
In 2014, she founded her own studio, Dance Atelier Pizzi, as well as the Pizzi Dance Art Company, with which she has produced and presented her own works and choreographies at various events in Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
Neel Jansen
Contemporary and children's dance teacher
Neel Jansen
Urban Dance and Hip Hop Teacher
Visiting Professor