Athena Mazarakis
Mazarakis was born in 1973 in Bloemfontein, Free State South Africa.
She started her dancing career training in ballet, tap and modern as a young girl and formalised her education at Rhodes University in Grahamstown, Eastern Cape. She graduated with distinction from Rhodes University in 1995 where she trained in the drama department under Gary Gordon and was one of the founding members of The First Physical Theatre Company.
Mazarakis then completed her Masters degree, also with distinction, at the University of the Witwatersrand in 2010 producing the autobiographical Coming To as the practical component to her dissertation: Body of Knowledge: Interrogating Physical Intelligence and the translation of memory into motion in Coming To.
2012 – Present Education Officer at The Forgotten Angle Theatre Collaborative
2013- Restaging Attachements No 1-7 with Craig Morris, directed by Gerard Bester for the 2013 Aardklop Festival in September.
List of choreographic works
2012 Inter.Fear
Commissioned 30-minute work for Dance Umbrella 2012. Created in collaboration with Hansel Nezza of Marabula Barcelona Berlin.
Commissioned full length work presented on the MAIN programme of the National Arts Festival, Grahamstown, 2012.
2012 Standing By
Solo multi-media work developed into a full length work through a Residency at GoetheOnMain.
2011 Urban Fragments
Site-specific work with students of the Zentrum für Zeitgenössischen Tanz der Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln made as part of the Afropolis exhibition, Cologne, Germany.
2011 Standing By
Solo multi-media work COMMISSIONED by Rhodes University, Grahamstown, for Human Rights Week.
2011 Smoke and Mirrors
Full-length work choreographed for The Forgotten Angle Theatre Collaborative as choreographer in residence. Performed at the opening of the Wale Festival, Johannesburg.
2011 Flicker
Conceived, produced and co-created this full-length work for the Arena platform of the National Arts Festival, Grahamstown, with subsequent programming on the 969 Festival, Johannesburg.
2010 elev(i)ate and elev(i)ate2
Interactive dance installation presented at the 2010 FNB Dance Umbrella and Staged work presented at the NAF, Grahamstown, the 969 Festival, Johannesburg and the Out the Box Festival (2011), Cape Town.
2010 Everyday Falling
Duet choreographed for The First Physical Theatre Company, Grahamstown.
2010 Blow
Co-devised Physical Theatre work for the 969 Festival, Johannesburg.
2010 Animal Farm
Choreography for Sibikwa’s Production of Animal Farm Directed by Phyllis Klotz
2007 Coming To
Full-length solo work including Interactive Digital Art. Performed at the National Arts Festival, Grahamstown, SA and The Nunnery, Johannesburg, SA.
2007 Touch
Full-length group work created for senior students of the Wits School of Arts. Performed in Johannesburg, SA.
2005 In the spaces between bricks
20-minute Duet. Commissioned by the Philip Stein Young Choreographers Grant. Performed at the FNB Dance Umbrella, Johannesburg, SA
2005 Just in Time
Full-length group work created for senior students of the Wits School of Arts. Performed in Johannesburg, SA.
2004 Soma
Full-length group work created for senior students of the Wits School of Arts. Performed in Johannesburg, SA.
2003 Tick Tock Bang
Trio performed at the FNB Dance Umbrella, Johannesburg, SA.
2003 Breaking News
Mime-theatre solo. Performed at My Big Fat Greek Festival, Durban, SA and at The Dance Factory, Johannesburg, SA.
2003 Beyond Words and the Big Red Lollipop
Full-length group work created for senior students of the Wits School of Arts. Performed in Johannesburg, SA.
2002 Limb by Limb
Solo dance work performed at the FNB Dance Umbrella, Johannesburg, SA.
2000 my back to the bells
Solo work performed at the FNB Dance Umbrella, Johannesburg, SA, The Dance Umdudo, Grahamstown, SA & at My Big Fat Greek Festival, Durban, SA.
Teaching Experience :
2010 Sessional staff member in the Dramatic Arts Division of the Wits School of Arts (WSOA), University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. Teaching Responsibilities: First quarter teaching of Physical Theatre IV and Masters Performance Laboratory.
2010 Leave-replacement teaching in the Drama Department of Rhodes University, Grahamstown. Teaching Responsibilities: Last quarter teaching of Dance Repertory III, Choreography III and Honours Choreography.
2004 – 2007 Lecturer in the Dramatic Arts Division of the Wits School of Arts (WSOA), University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. Teaching Responsibilities: Movement Studies, Physical Theatre, Mime and Choreography.
1999 – 2003 Sessional Tutor in the Dramatic Arts Division of the WSOA, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. Teaching areas: Voice, Physical Theatre and Movement Studies.
1998 Facilitator at The Voice Clinic, Saxonwold, Johannesburg.
1996 Tutor in the Rhodes University Drama Department, Grahamstown, SA. Teaching areas: Voice and Movement studies.
Awards
Mazarakis was a founding memeber of The First Physical Theatre Company in Grahamstown South Africa under the Direction of Gary Gordon.
Silver Standard Bank Ovation Award (2010) for elev(i)ate 2
Kanna award (2007) for the most prestigious achievement in Dance Theatre for Attachments nos 1 – 7
Gauteng MEC Award (2006) for Most Outstanding Female dancer in a contemporary style for performance in the works Petra and Attachments nos 1 – 6
Philip Stein Young Choreographer’s Grant award (2004) commissioning a new work – in the spaces between bricks (2005)
Latest update: september 13
