ALICIA SOTO is an artist and a promoter of movement and space.
After finishing her studies at the ‘Escuela Superior de Arte Dramático y Danza’ (‘School of Dramatic Art and Dance’) Institut del Teatre Barcelona, she realized during two years a specialization at ‘The Place School’ in London.
In 1990 she presents her first professional choreography at the ‘Festival del Mercat de las Flors' (Barcelona), where she receives the best critics. From then on she presents her creations at different festivals in Spain as well as in the rest of Europe.
In 2000 she starts with direction and choreography on her own. The critics highlight that her creation is original and open about combination of dance and of theater often using multimedia and new technologies and a continuing search of the dance language: acrobatics, vertical dance...
Alicia Soto, through her choreographies and with pedagogy, has taken the work of disseminating the contemporary dance and dance-theater during these last 10 years in Castilla-León, a Community with an absence of the professional circle of dance.
In a search of increasing her knowledge and new languages, she goes to education courses 2005-2008:
- Regine Chopinot “In Situ” improvisation workshop, II International Festival of Arts of Salamanca. 35 hours. July 2005, Salamanca.
- Enrique Vargas “Poética de los Sentidos” (Poetic of the Senses) in the International Festival of Arts of Valladolid, Tac. 35 hours. May 2006, Valladolid.
- Post Theater [New York/ Berlin/ Tokyo], “Dances in Multimedia” 40 hours. September 2007, Berlin.
- Master classes with Carolyn Carlson, technique and improvisation in the Atelier of Carolyn Carlson in Paris.35 hours. January 2008.
- Guest artist at the Platform "IN Situ" Neepelt, Belgium, formed by the major festivals in Europe in the workshop "Talking artists by artists". 2010.
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
The teaching experience of Alicia Soto starts in 1994 and consists, among other things, in the realization of a distribution program of dance through pedagogic projects in Castilla y León, counting on the support of several institutions of the Community.
- Dance course at the studio of Copelia, Burgos, 1994.
- Guest teacher at the Seminar “Creación Coreográfica Música y Movimiento” (“Choreographic Creation Music and Movement”) at the “International Dance Show” of Valladolid, 1995.
- Dance teacher at the ‘Municipal School of Theatre’ of Burgos, 1995-1996.
- Dance workshops at the Institutes of Education of the Province, “Dance at the Schools”, organized by the regional youth ministry of the Board of Castilla y León, Burgos, 1997.
- ‘Movement Techniques for Actors’, theatre class of the University of Burgos, 1997.
- Monographic Seminar of Dance at the Schools, organized by the Board of Castilla y León and Peñaranda de Bracamonte, Salamanca, 1998.
- Summer courses, Dance at Sasamón, 1997-1999 y 2001.
- Dance course given at the Dance Show of Fuenlabrada, Madrid, 2000.
- Contemporary Dance classes at the University of Burgos, 2001-2006.
- Summer courses organized by the Municipal Institute of Culture of the city council of Burgos and the Centre of Theatrical Creation “La Parrala”, 2002-2003.
- Development of an educative project with the city council of Burgos for children, known as “Danzarte” (“Danceart”), 2002-2006.
- Educative project of dance as resident company of the theatre of the Civic Centre of Serrada (Valladolid), 2007.
- Workshop of Choreographic Creation, organized by the ‘Association of Dance Teachers’ of Guipúzcoa, 2007.
- Course for actors and dancers “La poesía en la voz a través del movimento” (”Poetry in the voice through the movement”), educative project as resident company, Serrada (Valladolid), feb 2008.
- Course for actors, “Teatre en Movimiento” (”Theatre in Movement”), Burgos-NewYork Choreographic Contest, organized by the Board of Castilla y León, Burgos, 2008.
- Workshop of “Theater in Movement and improvisation” in the choreographic Contest of Burgos-New York, 2009.
- “The body in the performance space, another language" workshop at the Teatro de la Sensación, Ciudad Real. 26th-29th October, 2010
- “The body in the performance space, another language" workshop at La Nave del Duende” Cáceres Diciembre 2010.
- Educational project “Serrada un paso adelante” 2008-2009-2010
CONFERENCES:
- Conference about contemporary dance in Spain at the “Yokohama Dance Festival Collection R” in Japan, January 2005.
- Conferences about ‘the Dramatic Play in Dance’ and ‘the Situation of Contemporary Dance in Spain’ at the “International Festival of Experimental Theatre of Cairo”, Egypt, September 2005.
- Conferences about ‘the Dramatic Play in Dance’ at the “Festival Internacional Cali en Danza”, Colombia, 2007.
- Conference about ‘Resident Company. Obligations and Profit’ at the Comedy Street Theatre Umore Uzoka, Leiao (Vizcaya), May 2008
- Presentation at the 22nd World Congress on Dance Research as member of CID (International Dance Council) and representative of Castilla y León , Atenas, July 2008
- Conference ”Cruce de Criterios” (Crossroad of Criteria) at the FIT, Cádiz 2008.
- "The body in the performance space, another language" lecture at Universidad de Letras. Ciudad Real, Octubre 2010
INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOPS:
- Professional workshops “Movement as another Way of Expression”, at the “Cairo International Festival for Experimental Theatre”, Egypt, September 2005.
- Professional workshop “Master Class”, at the “Festival Internacional Cali en Danza”, Colombia, June 2007.
SHOWS CREATED BY ALICIA SOTO SINCE 1999:
- The Dog Breu and his friend Electrolux”, video-art. Première at the II Theatre Fair of Ciudad Rodrigo (Salamanca), 1999.
- “An Upside-Down World”, première in Burgos, 2000.
- “InArms”, première in Burgos, 2002. Nominated for sensational new spectacle at the Premios MAX 2003.
- “Section C, Fallen Angels Search to go up to Heaven” (street version), première in Viladecans, 2002.
- “Section C, Fallen Angels Search to go up to Heaven” (theatre version), première in December 2003. Nominated for sensational new spectacle at the Premios MAX 2004.
- “The Woman Without Memory”, première in Burgos, 2004.
- “Desire”, co-production with FUNDACIÓN SIGLO PARA LAS ARTES DE CASTILLA Y LEON (Founding SIGLO for the Arts of Castilla y León). Première in Laguna de Duero (Valladolid), November 2006.
- “Desire Creation 2007”, première in Ciudad Rodrigo – Theatre Fair of Castilla y León, August 2007. Finalist 2007 MAX Awards, best dancer.
- “ In Vino Veritas” (“In wine there is the truth”), premier at Street Theatre Faire Umore Azoka, Leioa, May 2008.
- “In vino veritas” theater version, premiere in the Cluina Theater, Burgos, 2008
- “Zero Gravity-super Gravity” co-production with Posttheatre / New York / Berlin / Tokyo / produced by the CENTURY FOR THE ARTS OF CASTILLA-LEÓN FOUNDATION, premiere in the V International Festival of Arts of Salamanca, 2009.
- My Way, but who is Santiago” TAC Valladolid. 2010.
- “2 or 3 questions” Clunia theatre. 2010 Burgos.
- “skinSITEs ver.XIII [memento mori]" in IND Festival at Mercat de les Flors, 2011. Barcelona.
CHOREOGRAPHIC ASSIGNMENTS:
- Choreography of the dance part of the spectacle “Confluencias” (“Junction”), co-production with the companies ‘Visitans’ and ‘Producciones Tres’. 250th Anniversary, Plaza Mayor of Salamanca, April 2005.
- Choreography “Homenaje a la Palabra” (“A Tribute to the Word”) for one only dancer, at “The Day of the Writing of Salamanca”, 2005.
- Choreographic assistance to the company ‘Azar Teatro’ for its new street spectacle “Spanish Blood”, May-June 2006.
- “ Choreography and Solo for the closing of the “IV International Contest of Master Sand Sculptures” of Valladolid, June 2007.
- Gala del 30th Aniversary of the D.O. Rueda, Calderon de la Barca theatre, Valladolid. December 2010.
CONTESTS:
- Finalist at the “V National Contest of Theatre for Scene Directors”, with the spectacle “InArms”, Torrejón de Ardoz (Madrid), 2002.
- Choreography contest of Burgos, 2004 and 2008.
- Member of the jury of the “V and VI International Contest of Choreography”, Burgos-New York, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009.
COLLABORATIONS:
- With Post Theater company (New York/Berlin/Tokio) on “skinSITEs (XI)” as dancer and choreographer and “Per Vilion IV”, as dancer. IV International Arts Festival of Castilla y León Salamanca, June 2008.
