ESTELA MERLOS
MOVEMENT ARTIST
Estela was born in Barcelona 1983 and is an independent dance performer, teacher, choreographer and rehearsal director based in London. She is also a certified practitioner of the Feldenkrais Method ®.
She began dancing at her local dance school Escola de Dansa Madó before moving to the UK in 2001 to continue her training at Central School of Ballet. During her training she was invited to perform with DV8 (The Cost of Living - Tate Modern), Kirov Ballet (La Bayadere - Royal Opera House) and Northern Ballet Theatre (Swan Lake - UK tour). Upon graduation she worked with Cannes Jeune Ballet Rosella Hightower (France 2004-2006) and IT Dansa (Spain 2006-2008) before joining Rambert touring internationally from 2008 to 2014.
During her time in these companies she created a wide range of roles and performed works by acclaimed choreographers such as Jiri Kylian, Nacho Duato, Christopher Bruce, Carolyn Carlson, Ohad Naharin, Merce Cunningham, Stijn Celis, Jo Stromgren, Alexander Ekman, Rafael Bonachela, Gustavo Ramirez, Itzik Galili, Javier de Frutos, Barak Marshall, Siobhan Davies, Jean-Christophe Maillot, Ashley Page, Tim Rushton, Marguerite Donlon amongst many others.
​Since 2014 she continues to collaborate independently with a variety of artists and dance companies as a performer and/or assistant director. These include Shobana Jeyasingh Dance,Terrain- Boris Charmatz, Marcos Morau - La Veronal, Humanoove - Didy Veldman, Russell Maliphant, Patricia Okenwa, New Movement Collective, AVA Dance Company, Renaud Wiser Dance Company, Malgorzata Dzierzon, Hubert Essakow, Goddard|Nixon Project, Miguel Altunaga, Dane Hurst, Mbulelo Ndabeni|N'da Dance Company, Ariadna Montfort.
​She was invited to perform in Night of 100 Solos: A Centennial Event at the Barbican Theatre London in April 2019. This unique event celebrated the centenary anniversary of American choreographer Merce Cunningham.
Estela has presented her own choreographic work in Spain and the UK in different theatres, public spaces and community settings, receiving commissions by Festival Ensems, Swindon Dance, DANSOX, TORCH, Pavillion Dance South West, Wilton’s Music Festival, Ignition Festival, British Spanish Society, Valencia Dancing Forward, Rambert Evening of New Choreography.
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In 2017 she was appointed Associate Artist by Swindon Dance together with dancer and martial artist Thomasin Gulgeç whom she has been collaborating since 2015. Their latest work Blind spots, in collaboration with composer Joseph Kay was supported by Arts Council England in 2019.
Her background in ballet, contemporary dance and flamenco are an ongoing influence in her personal practice and movement research. After many years of training and working with different companies she became very interested in the power of health and longevity through movement and dance. Her work and practice approach are inspired by the benefits of martial arts and somatic education. Thanks to the support of Dancers Career Development Estela started studying at Instituto Feldenkrais Barcelona International II under the direction of Phd Mara Fusero in 2017.
"After many years of rigorous training and following an extensive career journey, I recognised an urge within myself to unlearn all the information that I had processed over the years. In 2013 I started to attend Tai Chi and Qi Gong classes which opened up a new perspective on movement, health and energetics. In 2014 I decided to leave the safety of the institution I was working with and to open up to the challenges of freelance life. Since then I have been able to independently collaborate with a wide and diverse range of artists and dance makers and dedicate more time to my own choreographic work and teaching practice.
After a few years I became very intrigued about somatic education and how a different approach to movement could help me investigate body-mind knowledge and self expression in more depth. In 2017 I joined a Feldenkrais Practitioner Training and since this process began I have learnt to value and embrace my own history with deeper appreciation and to continue my exploration with more curiosity, inspiration and creativity. I feel grateful for every experience that allows me to learn further about myself and my relationship to others. What it is important to me is to stay honest to my own beliefs, stay tuned to my constantly changing physical awareness, my expression and intentions. I feel passionate about sharing these values with those who are also open to learning more about themselves and to get closer to their full potential. I am very interested in the power of health through movement, not only in a professional dance environment, where sometimes there are stereotypes built around age, aesthetic and ability, but to promote the benefits of movement practice as a day to day vital need. I believe in the potential of every human being and the power of change: Each breath is a new opportunity.