Cecilia Castellari was born in Voghera, Italy, in 1993. She began her dance training at Accademia Domenichino in Piacenza before moving to Vancouver at the age of 16 to continue her classical ballet studies at Goh Ballet. During her time in Canada, she also received recognition for her contemporary dance work and performed as part of the Vancouver Winter Olympics.

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In 2011, she moved to the Netherlands to study at Codarts, Rotterdam Dance Academy, where she graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Contemporary Dance. During her studies, she explored a wide range of movement styles and artistic approaches, performing works by choreographers including Regina van Berkel, Jan Martens, Club Guy & Roni, Sjoerd Vreugdenhil, Samir Calixto, Nacho Duato and Lonneke van Leth. Her performances took her across the Netherlands and internationally to Canada, Switzerland, Poland and Italy.

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In 2014, Cecilia joined Tanz Luzerner Theater in Switzerland as an apprentice under the direction of Kathleen McNurney. There, she performed works by Fernando Melo, Sandra Marín Garcia, Zoran Marković, Cayetano Soto, La Fura dels Baus, Marco Rizzi and Davidson Farias. She also created her solo FIVE for the evening Dancemakers #6 and collaborated with Nicole Seiler on the community dance project 3FEETS, involving performers of different ages and backgrounds.

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From 2015 to 2018, Cecilia was a member of Tanztheater Staatstheater Braunschweig under the direction of Gregor Zöllig. She performed works by Guilherme Botelho, Henrietta Horn, Reinhild Hoffmann, Tiago Manquinho and Dominika Willinek. During this time, she also co-led several community dance projects, working with participants aged six to 82.

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In 2018, she moved to Berlin and began working as a freelance dancer, choreographer and dance educator. She performed and toured across Germany, Portugal and Italy, collaborating with artists and collectives including Tiago Manquinho, Co/labs, performing, Marco Rizzi, LUNAPARK e.V. and Dmytro Grynov.

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Alongside her performing career, Cecilia developed a strong interest in dance education and participatory artistic practices. She taught contemporary dance to children, teenagers and adults at institutions and festivals including LOT-Theater, Hybrid Festival, IG Tanz Ost, Teatro Café Müller and Tanzfabrik.

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Over the years, her professional focus has gradually shifted away from performing towards sharing movement with others. Today, her work is centered on community dance projects and individual movement training.

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Since 2023, she has been developing, organizing and choreographing community dance projects, particularly in smaller towns and rural areas of Lower Saxony. She is part of Tanz mit GbR and, since 2024, has worked as a dance educator (Tanzvermittlerin) with act:on, creating inclusive dance experiences for people of different ages, abilities and backgrounds.

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Alongside her work in dance education, Cecilia has been a GYROTONIC® trainer since 2020. In 2026, she expanded her qualifications with a Fitness Trainer B-Licence and training in the GYROKINESIS® method. Her approach combines her background in contemporary dance with a holistic understanding of movement, body awareness, mobility and strength.