Contemporary Dance Workshop
The class will begin with an improvisation-based warm-up, exploring the body through movement in space and on the floor, working with different speeds, qualities, and tasks to discover the possibilities of movement.
We will then explore contact improvisation through partnering, working with touch, weight, and following the intentions of another person. The class will continue with floorwork and contemporary technique inspired by Fabio Basile’s movement style.
We will finish with a choreography based on Martina’s personal movement approach and the way she explores and plays with the body.
Date: Friday, October 2, 2026
Time: 11:00 - 1:00 PM
Ages: 16+
The workshop is beginner-friendly.
Martina Arena was born in Palermo in 1999. She started dancing at the age of 4 and studied at A.S.D. Progetto Danza Villabate with Fabio Basile and Luana Ragolia. Her studies include ballet, ballet repertoire, pointe shoe technique, contemporary dance, and artistic gymnastics.
In 2019, she danced as a guest at Die Theater Chemnitz, Germany, in Swan Lake by Sabrina Sadowska and Eno Peci.
In 2022, she joined Ballett Theater Nordhausen, Germany, for three seasons. During her time with the company, she danced in Friedrich, Le Sacre du Printemps, Ein Deutsches Requiem, Firebird, and Nacht/Gedanken by Ivan Alboresi, Director of the company; Les Noces by Martin Harriague; Travellers by Tu Hoang and Hiro Murata; and Humpback Runner by Jiří Pokorný, created for NDT II.
She received the SIAE Prize in Italy for the choreography Di-Missioni by Fabio Basile, as well as the Critics Award by Leonetta Bentivoglio for the duet Fireworks by Fabio Basile.
She is currently working as a freelance dancer and recently joined Sarab Dance Collective as a dancer for the piece Women Like You, Like Me. She is currently performing at the Royal Cultural Center in Amman.
