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• PHILIPP ZARRILLI

  Theatre scholar (USA/UK)

  works internationally as a director and trains actors/dancers using psychophysical processes through Asian martial/meditation arts. During his career he has created, directed, or performed in over 18 “intercultural” productions. Between 1976 and 1993, Zarrilli lived in Kerala, India for a total of seven years – each trip devoted to undergoing intensive training in and researching kalarippayattu, Kerala’s traditional yoga-based martial art. He is author of numerous books including ‘Psychophysical Acting: an intercultural approach after Stanislavski’ (2009), ‘When the body becomes all eyes: paradigms, practices and discourses of power in kalarippayattu’ (Oxford University Press 1998), ‘Kathakali Dance-Drama: Where Gods and Demons Come to Play’ (Routledge, 2000), and (ed.) ‘Acting Reconsidered’ (Routledge, 2002), among many others.

  phillipzarrilli.com

• GREGOR ZÖLLIG

  Choreographer, director Tanztheater Bielefeld (D)

  Since 2005 Gregor Zöllig and Christine Biedermann have been jointly directing the Tanztheater Bielefeld. Zöllig studied at the Folkwang Hochschule and the John-Cranko-Schule. In 1996 he came to the Bremer Tanztheater under the direction of Urs Dietrich. In 1997 he became the director of the Tanztheater Osnabrück, placing a main emphasis of his work on developing pieces of his own.
  Zöllig founded ‘Tanzboden’, the first German network of municipal and state dance ensembles. Since 2007 he and the Tanztheater Bielefeld have been creating dance projects with laypersons of all ages under the title ‘Zeitsprung’. 

• PROF. DR. ASOKA MENDIS DE ZOYSA

  Journalist (SLK)

  writes reviews on Contemporary Dance and Art in Sri Lanka. Born in Colombo, he studied at the Freie Universität Berlin, where he completed his Master’s Degree in Indology and Germanistics. His doctoral dissertation deals with India as seen in the German theater at the times of Goethe.
  Since his return to Sri Lanka in 1997, he has been attached to faculties like the University of Visual and Performing Arts, Colombo, where he teaches Theory of Art History. He is Professor of German Studies at the University of Kelaniya. He was a co-founder of the performance group ‘Bolo Theatre’, which deals with issues forbidden in Sri Lanka.