ABOUT SAMI GIRON

Sami / Samantha Giron is an international choreographer and dance teacher based in both Berlin and San Francisco. For decades, her work has been showcased in major dance hubs, exploring themes of identity, transformation, and social issues. Notable works include *Play Bow* (2024, Expo Festival, English Theater Berlin), *Girls* (2020, Lucky Trimmer, Sophiensaele, Berlin), and *Grace* (2016, Ufer Studios, Berlin; Dance Mission Theater, San Francisco).

She holds a Master of Fine Arts in Choreography and Dance from California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), a Bachelor of Arts in Dance from Mills College, and a Post-Baccalaureate degree in Dance and Sports Pedagogy from California State University. Giron also holds a lifetime certification to teach dance to adults, teenagers, and children.

Giron's teaching style focuses on transmuting the joy of dance, fostering technical growth and creative intelligence. Her classes offer a blend of modern and contemporary dance training, informed by her early foundation in urban dance and electronic music communities. Her choreography merges formal dance techniques with street dance influences, emphasizing a low center of gravity, fluid joints, and deep horizontal weight transfers.

Collaborating with designers and electronic musicians, Giron’s work delves into themes such as deconstructing the purpose of marriage, play behavior in dogs, and bi-cultural identity. A long-standing partnership with a sound designer, established in 2005, has been central to her creative process.

Her choreography has been featured at prominent American theaters like Z Space, Project Artaud, ODC, and CounterPULSE, as well as iconic nightclubs like The Mezzanine and Public Works. In Berlin, she has presented her work at the Expo Festival at English Theater Berlin, Sophiensaele (Lucky Trimmer Festival), and Ufer Studios. She has also choreographed for Berlin-based advertising agencies.

Giron has taught workshops such as *“Leaving Your Comfort Zone”* at the Dis-Tanzen Festival (2022) and is a published dance essayist. She served as the head of the dance program at Thomas Edison Primary and Secondary School in San Francisco for four years and has lectured on fusion dance styles at San Francisco State University.

In Berlin, Giron has taught at leading studios such as Marameo, Tanzfabrik, Dock 11, and the Berlin Cosmopolitan School. She currently teaches at Studio für Künstlerischen Tanz and Soulbase. In 2025, she will choreograph for ODC's performance season and teach in ODC’s Hot Spot series. Giron recently received funding from Fonds Darstellende Künste to remake her 2009 piece on non-binary identity.