Barbara Pfundt

Germany
Year of starting to practice
1991
Year of starting to teach
1994
Barbara Pfundt

Barbara Pfundt

Born as a moving kid I was already addicted to all kinds of movements, but my early longing was from the very first moment on dancing. I started with jazz and modern dance, the only option to that time besides ballet, after highschool I studied physical education with main focus dance, of course.

There I got to know contact improvisation 1991 first time and immediately I was on fire, finally, a dance where I had the feeling „I’m right“.

Since then I was looking for options to dance CI, I moved to san francisco for a while, to study CI. At that time New dance was the technical condition for CI and both connected with each other, what in my opinion really makes sense still.

In this respect I integrate elements of new dance, release technic and other methods like Tai Chi, BMC, yoga and Feldenkrais onto my classes, anyway everything what is usefull and fits to my understanding and longterm body exploration.

Since 1994 I’m teaching new dance and CI and proofed my way over the years, more and more. Now I transmit my style of teaching and dancing all over the world for beginners, advanced and professional dance companies. I'm convinced of the theory of the mathematic hyperbel curve and the spiral as two of the main principals of movement.

In 1999 I have cofounded a dance company (“momentum”) and have performed with this ensemble as well as with other companies.

I am dancing CI because I have been fallen in love with this hugh universe of moving very physically, feeling myself, sensing my partner and the surrounding, taking again and again this challenge of opening up and developing an open hearted mind. It’s simply a big gift.

Significant teachers
Important teachers: Contemporary / New Dance: Kathleen Hermesdorf, Stephanie Maher, Jess Curtis, Scott Smith, Daniel Condamines, Frans Poelstra, Donald Flemming, Lilo Stahl, Regina Biermann, Katharina Petersen, Isabelle Schaad, Olga Cobos, Peter Mika, Frey Faust u.a. Contact&Improvisation: Kurt Koegel, Dieter Heitkamp, Peter Pleyer, Scott Wells, Heike Pourian, Cathie Caraker, Lucia Walker, Kirstie Simson, Thomas Kampe, Ka Rustler, Nita Little, David Zambrano, Angela Doniy, Yaniv Mintzer u.a. Dansexpressie: Sonia Rastelli, Rosemarie Anton Performance and acting: Angie Hiesl, Mark Tompkins, Julyen Hamilton, Fjodor Stephanov, Wolfgang Schmidt, Gennadi Abramov, Nele Kießling