Susanne Bentley: biography

Susanne Bentley (New Zealand) has been a freelance contemporary dancer/improvisor, working with others and on her own projects in NZ and Europe since 1996. In NZ she worked with companies such as Touch Compass, Opera NZ and Weta Productions (Peter Jackson- film), and was a founding member of Curve Dance Collective.

In 2000 she received a DanceWEB scholarship for Impulstanz in Vienna. Since then she has performed with companies in Austria (Superamas, Cy.ancal), Switzerland (Cie. Fabienne Berger, Nikunja), Hungary (Two in One) and Belgium (Les Ballets C de la B, Maria Clara Villa Lobos, Random Scream, Poni, Pierre Rubio, Heine Avdal).

Susanne has always created her own works- choreographed or improvised. Someone Else's Weirdo was performed extensively in NZ in 2000, then reworked to appear in the Festival C'est Du Jamais Vu in Brussels in 2002. The improvised solo Téléphonez moi premiered in 2003 and Roasted Addiction was performed in Nov/Dec 2004 in Brussels in several venues.

Since 2002 she has been performing with electronic musician and audiovisual artist Peter Van Hoesen as the duo Bent Object.

Susanne has been teaching professional and amateur contemporary/improvisation classes and workshops regularly since 2002 in studios, schools and for companies such as: Ultima Vez (Brussels), Danswerkhuys, Dans.art, Dansstudio Arabesque (Antwerp), Wisper (Ghent), ACT Danse (Liege), Espace Catastrophe, Danscentrum Jette, Laster Studios and at PARTS Summer Studios (Brussels). She has also taught for companies and universities in New Zealand.