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Intro

Maria Koripas

Movement Director & Choreographer

Photo: Helen Murray

About Me
Photo: Merass Sadek
EH3A6427landscape(web)_edited.jpg

 

 

Independent movement director

and choreographer working in 

opera, dance, theatre and photography.

Maria embraces a

variety of approaches

 including Laban

and somatic practice 

 to create physical language and expression with

'mesmerising power'.

   

 

  

 

Photo: Kathryn Chapman

Photo Kathryn Chapman

What People Say

 The Girl with Glitter in her Eye

'cast members really shine in their physicality (bravo, movement director Maria Koripas)'

— JN Benjamin

The Stage

Photo Victoria Double
Work
Performance
CV

MARIA KORIPAS 

CV

1992  - 2021
Abbey Opera 
Birkbeck Opera 

1993 - 2021

Shameless
Dido and Aeneas
Marriage of Figaro
Don Giovanni
Ballo in Maschera
Tales of Hoffman
Silk Moth
Fafa Saves the Forest
The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe
Picasso
Gestures to Lost Spaces
Woman at Point Zero
Parachute
Moving London
A History of Water
in the Middle East
The Girl with Glitter in her Eye
This Queer House
Ordinary Miracle
Breathe

1984 - 2015

Movement Director & Choreographer

Termly and annual fully-staged performances in collaboration with directors:

Mike Ashman, Stuart Barker, Nina Brazier, Caroline Gawn, Richard Gregson, Seb Harcombe, Mark Hathaway, Tom Hawkes, Tim Hopkins, Michael Hunt, Shirley Keane, Michael Moxham, John Ramster, Steven Stead and Andrew Wickes 

 

Hinde Street Church, The Drill Hall, Cochrane Theatre and John Mc Intosh Arts Centre  ​​

Movement Director/Choreographer/Director Independent Productions/Projects

Opera Circus, (early development) Director David Glass, Union Chapel

 

Palace Opera, Director Anya Kubrick, Holland Park Theatre 

 

European Chamber Opera, Director Rosie Johnston, Holland Park Theatre

 

English Touring Opera, Director Rosie Johnston, Holland Park Theatre

 

Floral Opera, Director Richard Gregson, Richmond Theatre

 

Floral Opera, Director Richard Gregson, Richmond Theatre

 

Co-Director/Choreographer for Chamber Opera, Composer Bushra El-Turk, Librettist Eleanor Knight, Director Michael Moxham

 

Associate Director and Choreographer for Al Jazeera Network Musical and Film, Director Michael Hunt, Composer Hani Siblini, Set Design Mona Mohassab, Costume Designer Patrick Connellan, Doha, Qatar

 

Choreographer for TUZ Production, Director Michael Hunt, Designer Patrick Connellan, Perm, Russia

 

Movement Director for Playground Theatre Production by Terry d’Alfonso, Director Michael Hunt, Designer Klara Zeiglerova, Producer Jessica Andrews, Playground Theatre

Choreographer and performer in collaboration with creative photographer Kathryn Chapman. Site responsive project, abandoned brewery and adjoining industrial buildings, Esher, Surrey

 

Director/Choreographer, devised in collaboration with Composer Bushra El-Turk, Librettist Sabrina Mahfouz, Singer Merit Stephanos and Ensemble Zar, LSO St Luke's, Royal Opera House, Shubbak Festival

 

Movement Coach for Creative Photographer Kathryn Chapman self portrait shoot on location in Northamptonshire

Epic scenes of moving London with solo figure, co-created with Photographer Kathryn Chapman, Kings Cross and Coal Drops Yard

Production by Sabrina Mahfouz, Director Stef O'Drisco, Royal Court 

 

Cross-Arts Production, Writer/Director Masha Kevinovna & OPIA Collective, The Bunker Theatre

 

Cross-Arts Production, Writer/Director Masha Kevinovna & OPIA Collective, The Vault Festival, Network Theatre

 

Writer/director Masha Kevinovna. Poetic and musical multi-disciplinary production, devised with the National Youth Rep Company, National Youth Theatre

Writer SKShlomo/performer, Director Masha Kevinovna, Design Cara Evans, Royal Albert Hall

Dancer

Flower Maiden, Parsifal, Royal Opera, Covent Garden

Stella, Tales of Hoffman, Royal Opera, Covent Garden

 

Performed in over 20 operas including new productions, revivals, royal galas and televised performances with English National Opera, London Coliseum  

 

Opera Film: Wozzeck, Director Sir David Pountney, English National Opera, BBC 

 

La Boheme, Director Michael Hunt, Ramond Gubbay Productions, Royal Albert Hall

Princess, The Soldier's Tale, Director/Choreographer Caroline Pope, Narrator Sam West, Soldier James Darrell, Devil Bob Smith, Musical Director Charles Hazelwood, EOS Orchestra

Member of the original Pineapple Dance Company, Artistic Director/Choreographer Charles Augins - appeared in various music videos and staged performances throughout London 

Opera Singer

1989 - 2009

Pamina/Dido

 

 

 

Pamina

Lauretta

Fiorilla

 

Zerlina

Rosina

 

Papagena

Tigre

 

Spirit

 

Hutu

 

 

Alcina

Momento Mori, Momento Amore, Arias from Magic Flute, Dido and Aeneas, also electronic score by Wajid Yaseem, Director/Choreographer Athina Vahla guided by curators from the National Gallery and the Courtauld Institute, Cando Co Dance Company, The Borough Hall, Greenwich 

 

In Praise of Folly, recorded voice, Director/Choreographer Athina Vahla, CandoCo Dance Company, Queen Elizabeth Hall, South Bank, National and International Tour

Gianni Schicchi aria and score for improvised voice by Nick Parkin,

Spaces Between, Candoco Dance Company, Director Athina Vahla, Royal Festival Hall

 

Turco in Italia, Director Anne Clements, Musical Director/Conductor Alexander Bryett, Chilham Castle and Chavenage House, Stately Homes Music Festival

 

Don Giovanni, Musical Director/Conductor Alexander Bryett,

Royal Overseas League, London

 

Barber of Seville, Musical Director/Conductor Alexander Bryett,

Royal Overseas League, London

 

Magic Flute, Opera For All, Director Jeanne Henney OBE, Conductor

Wasfi Kani, Questor’s Theatre, London

 

El Tigre, Composer Ben Barlett, Text/Libretto Pablo Neruda, Conductor Charles Hazelwood, EOS Chamber Orchestra, Director Caroline Pope,

Donmar Warehouse, Covent Garden Opera Festival

 

Pillow Song, Composer/Musical Director Paul Barker, Modern Music Theatre Troupe, Director Caroline Pope, regional tour and Purcell Room, South Bank Centre

 

Conference of the Birds, Theatre: X, Composer Dirk Campbell, Conductor Charles Hazelwood, EOS Chamber Orchestra, Librettist and Director/Choreographer Darlene Stevens, Robin Howard Theatre, The Place.    

Handel aria and new score for dance by composer Barrington Pheloung, Moana Nepia Dance Company, Choreographer Moana Nepia, pianist Ross Lavin, Harlow Playhouse and Thames Theatre, Grays, Waltham Abbey

Recitals/Concerts

Co-directed and sang in extensive series of recitals with mezzo-Soprano Tina Ellen Lee, Leighton House Museum, Burgh House, The New October Gallery, 

Conway Hall and Baylis Theatre, Sadler’s Wells with pianist Julius Drake

 

Recitals also with Wendy Pollock, Fiona Kimm, Arwel Huw Morgan, Christopher Robson and Stephen Richardson at Leighton House Museum, pianist Alan Bence

 

Singing Competitions

Semi-Finalist
Finalist

Maria Callas Opera and Lied Grand Prix, Athens

Robert Stolz International Singing Competition, Hamburg

Opera & Dance Training 

Voice training principally with Jenny Hill then Noelle Barker OBE 

Attended:

Else Mayer-Lismann Opera Centre 

Italian Opera Academy with Federico Davia

Abbey Opera Programme with Mary Hill and Anthony Shelley

 

Voice coaches: Robert Keyes, Elaine Korman, Valda Plucknett, Philip Thomas,

Paul Hamburger and Julius Drake

 

Glyndebourne Master Classes, led by Jonathon Hinden

3 year Dance Theatre and Movement Training at Laban (Trinity Laban)

American Jazz with Charles Augins

Ballet training with Anna Duboisson 

Contemporary classes and Improvisation at The Place and Independent Dance 

Qualifications
MA Lifelong Learning, Birkbeck 
HE Diploma in Teaching Adults in Higher Education, Birkbeck
HE Diploma in Dance Theatre, Laban Centre (Trinity Laban)
Contact
Contact Maria

What People Say...

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