JENNIFER MANN

Jennifer Mann began her career as a young dancer in Lancaster, Pennsylvania with Judy Williams-Henry. She toured eastern Europe in the late 80's with Ms. Henry's "Movement Laboratory Youth Ensemble".  In 1992 she received her B.F.A from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, graduating with honors and the highest grade point average of her class. In addition she was awarded "Outstanding Choreographer" from the university's dance department. Her professors included Milton Myers, Pat Thomas, Ruth Andrien, Ronen Koresh, Andrew Pap, and Manfred Fischbeck. During her studies she performed, choreographed and toured abroad with Mr. Fischbeck's  "Group Motion Company". She was a 1991 scholarship recipient from the American Dance Festival, where she studied with Doug Varone, Cathy Ward and Ishmael Houston Jones.

In 1993, Jennifer moved to Holland where she worked as a freelance artist in different companies and projects. Her home base was in The Dancer's Studio, Amsterdam. Here she trained, created work and rehearsed with Beppie Blankert's company for festivals in Holland and the United States. In 1994 she was commissioned from dutch film director, Annick Vroom, to create choreography for a short dance film, "Pas de Stoelen", which won a bronze award from "New York's Dance on Film Festival". She received additional support for her own productions from the Danswerkplaats, A-dam. At this time she traveled frequently to Dresden, Germany to work with choreographer Johannes Bönig in productions for the Tanzbühne Dresden and operas from Karlheinz Stockhausen. Jennifer's teaching career birthed in 1996. She began developing a personal style influenced by the Alexander and Cunningham techniques and the yoga classes that she was taking at the time. She offered professional classes at the Dancer's Studio and the Danswerkplaats, A-dam.

In 1997 Jennifer relocated to Berlin, Germany, where she co-founded "Zen in the Basement Company"* with Heidi Weiss and Sebastian Gäbel. The company has been creating and performing works for the last 12 years in Berlin, Potsdam, Dresden and Leipzig, as well as touring internationally, performing in festivals in Europe, USA and Asia. Their work has been funded by the Hauptstadtkulturfonds Berlin, Kulturamt der Stadt Potsdam, the Ministerium für Wissenschaft, Forschung + Kultur Land Brandenburg, the Darstellende Künste e.V. and the International Tanzwoche Dresden.  She has been an instructor of contemporary modern dance at the Tanzakademie Balance 1 for 12 years and annually creates a choreography for the graduating class. She also teaches classes for professionals in Marameo, Dock 11, and Tanzfabrik. Travelling internationally as a teacher, she offers her training to a variety of european companies and city theaters. Jennifer has given training to such well renowned Companies such as Itzik Galili (Grönigen, Holland), Sasha Waltz and guests (Berlin), Deutsches Nationaltheater Weimer (Co. Ishmael Ivo), Stadttheater Giessen (Co. Roberto Galvan), Theater Basel (Co. Joachim Schlömmer), Stadttheater Bühnen Osnabrück (Co. Gregor Zöllig) and Stadttheater Freiburg (Tanztheater Irina Pauls). Her teaching style has expanded in her collaborations with Heidi Weiss, and their influence on one another has evolved into the "Weiss-Mann" * technique.

In addition to teaching dance, Jennifer is also a certified yoga* teacher. She recieved her initial certification from the Academy of Yoga in Grand Junction, Colorado in 2003, under the direction of certified Iyengar yoga teacher James E. Bryan. She is continuing her education with Ananda Leone at the Yoga Akademie Berlin. Her class is influenced by Iyengar, Ashtanga, and by traditional Hatha Yoga styles. She has been an instructor of yoga in Berlin studios Panta Rhei and Dock 11, is currently teaching in Moveo, and is now developing a yoga class for dancers in Marameo and Tanzakademie Balance 1.

Jennifer has also enjoyed performing in projects from Berlin dance makers: Howard Katz Fireheart, Jean Marc LeBon, the Wee Dance Company, and continues to dance with Scottish choreographer Norman Douglas. She also collaborates frequently with SUBCIRCLE, based in Philadelphia.  After a long break from creating, Jennifer teamed up with ZIB partner Heidi Weiss, showing their latest creation "DO or DIE" in Philadelphia this past January. Their new duo will be presented in Marameo's "Show Time" on April 25th.

Besides her busy life as an artist and teacher, Jennifer is the proud mommy of her 3 year old son, Jan Tyler.