Zjana
Hello !
Zjana Muraro is a UK-based dance artist and choreographer working at the intersection of contemporary dance, somatic practice, and digital and computational arts. Her work spans stage, gallery, and immersive environments, exploring embodiment, wellbeing, and more-than-human perspectives through research-led choreography. Alongside an international performance practice, she is a Lecturer in Dance at De Montfort University and Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, where she integrates rigour, creativity, and sustainable practice into dance and arts education.
Coming soon
Stranger
Currently in Development
A new immersive work. Following a development through collaboration with 15 neurodiverse Associate Artists at Access All Areas Theatre (AAA) in East London, this new project places inclusivity, community and access at its heart. Building on Dance & VR research, in which we found improved mood, confidence, autonomy, and connection among these specific performers, we have been so inspired by our work with AAA. Stranger is an immersive dance experience that draws audiences into a striking live world of movement, sound and interaction, inviting them to explore how technology and surveillance shape how we see ourselves, connect with others and move through contemporary society. Using interactive environments, it will create accessible spaces where audiences can reflect, connect and participate on their own terms. Supported by residencies and mentoring, this R&D will lay the groundwork for an ambitious future contribution to England’s growing immersive arts sector.
Video:
Independent Dance Artists Pheniox Tanner & Zjana Muraro with Technologist James Russel working with Associate Artists at Access All Areas Theatre, East London
Work Experience
Zjana Muraro
Dance Artist | Choreographer | Performer | Researcher
Based in the UK | International Practice
Artist Profile
Zjana Muraro is an independent dance artist and choreographer working at the intersection of contemporary dance, somatic practice, and digital and computational arts. Her work explores embodiment, technology, wellbeing, and more-than-human perspectives through performance, installation, and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Current Academic Appointments
Lecturer in Dance – De Montfort University
Oct 2025 – Present
Teaching Contemporary Ballet, Contemporary Dance Partnering, and Choreography; supervising Personal Projects; module leadership and curriculum development for the Healthy Dance Practitioner. Collaborating across dance and digital technologies.
Lecturer in Dance – Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance
Jul 2024 – Present
Teaching contemporary dance technique, choreography, and performance across BA (Hons), MA, Foundations, and CAT programmes.
Artistic Practice
Independent Dancer & Maker
Aug 2016 – Present
Creation and presentation of original choreographic works for stage, gallery, and digital contexts. Works presented internationally at venues and festivals including Grec Festival and Mercat de les Flors (Barcelona), Oulu Museum of Art (Finland), Turner Contemporary (UK), Complesso Monumentale di Santa Sofia (Italy), The Place, Laban Theatre, Stone Nest, Space Studios, Roundhouse (London), Tribeca Performing Arts Center (New York), REDCAT (Los Angeles), Boston Opera House, Chinnaswamy Stadium (Bangalore), and the Suzanne Dellal Center and Gerard Behar Centre (Tel Aviv-Jaffa).
As a performer, has worked across classical and contemporary dance with companies including Hartford Ballet, Joffrey Ballet Ensemble, and Cleveland Repertory Project, and performed works by and with choreographers such as Alonzo King, Mats Ek, Doug Varone, Bebe Miller, Danna Uchizono, David Gordon, David Zambrano, Noa Wertheim, and Roy Assaf.
Commercial and cross-disciplinary collaborations include performances with Shaggy, Chaka Khan, Jamelia, Sonic Youth, Scott Snibbe, and film director Harmony Korine.
Selected Commissions, Presentations & Platforms
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Grec Festival – Barcelona, Spain
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Mercat de les Flors – Barcelona, Spain
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Oulu Museum of Art – Finland
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Turner Contemporary – UK
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Complesso Monumentale di Santa Sofia – Italy
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The Place – London, UK
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Stone Nest, London, UK
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Roundhouse – London, UK
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REDCAT – Los Angeles, USA
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Tribeca Performing Arts Center – New York, USA
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Suzanne Dellal Center – Tel Aviv-Jaffa, Israel
Research-Led & Digital Practice
Artistic research focusing on somatics, motion capture, augmented and immersive performance, and embodied interaction with digital systems. Creation for XR, interactive installations, and performance environments integrating movement, sound, and computational processes.
Publications & Artistic Research Outputs
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Becoming Somewhere Digital – TTT2023 Malta Arts Show (2024)
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Soma-theque: Somatics, Technology and New Materialism – Coventry University (2023)
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Dancing Chaos with Augmented Reality – DRHA Conference, Kingston University (2022)
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Somatics for the Digital Space – Perspectives in Public Health UK (2022)
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Narratives of Displacement: A Case for Wild Thought – Università di Chieti-Pescara (2021)
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Portable Interactive Explorations of Motion Data Systems for Choreographers – Rutgers University (2020)
Education
MA Performance Studies – New York University (2015)
PGDip Computational Arts – Goldsmiths, University of London (2017–2018): Motion capture, interactive performance, C++, OpenFrameworks, Machine Learning, Computer Vision.
Funding & Support
Artistic work has been supported by Arts Council England, European Cultural Foundation, Compagnia di San Paolo, East London Dance, and UAL College of Fashion.
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Moving Digits Artistic Research Project A project for Digital Technology, Dance & Choreographic Practices 15 international dance artists, 4 projects, 7 institutions A series of labs and performative events with a participatory design perspective were organized for the study and creative experimentation with movement devices, digital tools and motion tracking systems in augmented reality settings. The first phase of Moving Digits took place at Sõltumatu Tantsu Lava Performing Arts Platform (Tallinn, Estonia, February 2019) followed by a residency/stage showing at Τanzhaus NRW, (Düsseldorf, October 2019)
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