Marianna Varviani is a Greek theater and dance artist. She has worked internationally in Greece, the UK, Spain, Brazil, and the USA; as a performer, director, choreographer, and instructor. She started training in 2002 with the Nama Theater group in Athens. She was the co-founder of ‘Ha! Theatre Ensemble’ and is the founder and artistic director of ‘Selcouth’. With ‘Ha! Theatre Ensemble’ she has devised and performed the pieces: ‘Start Trip’ which won the first award in the Bob Theatre Festival, ‘The Age of the Woodcock’, ‘Colorful Water’ / site specific for KET, and ‘Super Sweet Pergamond’.
With ‘Selcouth’ she has created the works: ‘Vortex’ which was performed at ‘Arc for Dance Festival’, ‘European Dance Network’, Festival of Rematia ‘Our Festival’, ‘Ahtikos_ a dance for Liberation’ performed at ‘Arc for dance festival’ as part of ‘Prime Movers’, ‘Phoenix_ rising from the Ashes’ performed at UCLA Kaufman Hall, ‘Untwine’ performed San Pedro Festival of the Arts/USA, ‘Co’ performed at ‘Ebb & Flow Festival in LA, ‘Are you with me?’ as part of the Culture Flow residency at Piyoda Flow, and ‘Art Truck LA’ as part of ‘The Other Art Fair’ in Santa Monica. ‘MARK’ at Highways Performance Space.
Her award-winning collection of short dance films ‘Time to Dream’, has toured internationally to 20 film festivals. Marianna has performed in projects by Salia Sanou, Friidom, Ghislain Grellier, Stella Spyrou (touring in Spain), Ohi Paizoume, Patari Project (touring in Greece), Dimitris Kostakis, and others. Varviani is the co-founder at LA Dance Calendar, an online platform, and Global Choreographers online residency. She has a B.A. in Contemporary Theatre from E15/ University of Essex and an MFA in Dance from UCLA. She has been teaching dance and theater since 2008 in Brazil for Theatre of the Oppressed, in RJ, once a year as a Devising Physical Theater Guest Director for the BA Acting International Course in the UK at E15/ University of Essex, in Greece as a leading Instructor for Kinitiras studio, Belleville, Lotofagoi/Ministry of Culture, Studio Trajectory, Studio Kabeira, and in USA in UCLA, as well as for Heidi Duckler Dance, Young Choreographers Project, Motive Brooklyn, and Piyoda Flow.
