Karola Lüttringhaus                                                                                                                                        
PSYCHOLOGICAL SPACE. KINSHIP. TRANSFORMATION. BREATH.
​PROCESS & PHILOSOPHY
Merging American experiences with her European roots, Karola Lüttringhaus creates interdisciplinary expressions in choreography, scene design, visual art, lighting, sound, and film.

Her dance theatre work is marked by a distinct visceral and kinetic voice that traces the changeable electricity of thought and sensation that underlies human interaction and interpersonal relationships.

​Her process is characterized by a simultaneously analytical and intuitive approach;  manifesting itself as complex nestings of parallel 'stories' that bear witness to the complexity of the situations explored.

For her, art is an intellectual exercise as well as a journey toward consciousness as art manifest, excavating the components of socially accepted norms, and igniting conversation about points of friction, to put them in conversation with embodied and non-cognitive ways of knowing and communication. 

Through the creative process she seeks to de- and reconstruct embodied, visual, political and philosophical renderings of life experiences, to open eyes and to fine-tune our perceptiveness and our appreciation for life and all those who share it.  
​
 


​ 
SHORT BIO
Karola Lüttringhaus was born and grew up in Berlin, Germany, where she lived until the age of 23. She received a BFA in Choreography and Modern Dance in 1998 from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and an MA in Scenic Design and Scenography from the Technische Universität Berlin in 2013. She received an MA in Performance Studies (2019) and is currently a PhD Candidate in the Performance Studies Program at UC Davis, CA. 

​She is a recipient of the 'North Carolina Arts Council Fellowship in Choreography' ('06) and a 'Verein Deutscher Ingenieure - Award for Outstanding Achievements in Scene Design' ('14). 

Lüttringhaus currently leads a semi nomadic life, splitting her time between the US and Berlin, Germany, while working wherever opportunities take her.
She is a freelance designer, choreographer and educator at theatres and universities across Europe and the US.

​Since 1999 she has been the artistic and executive director of ALBAN ELVED DANCE COMPANY and founded a number of regular events including the SARUS FESTIVAL for Site-specific & Experimental Art which was produced for 7 years until the covid pandemic. 

​                                       *
​MOVEMENT RESEARCH
Lüttringhaus' research in movement focuses on studying the interplay of the human body's sensory and articular emanations, based on a rich exchange with the Axis Syllabus International Research Community, and their investigations into biomechanical, anatomical, and physical principles as relevant to the moving body, which she then puts in conversation with more etheral philosophies such as animism, kinship and 
wu wei (effortless action).
Vertical Divider
> PhD Candidate (ABD) in the Performance Studies program at University of California Davis, USA

> MA Performance Studies (University of California Davis, CA, USA, '19)

> MA Scene Design/Exhibition Design (Technische Universität Berlin,  Germany)

> BFA Dance/Choreography (Univ. of NC School of the Arts, USA)
_______

> Candidate in the certification program of the Axis Syllabus International  Research Meshwork

Download:
CV English  (detailed)
CV Deutsch
​(detailliert)
1968
born in Berlin, Germany.
Since '94
freelance designer, choreographer and educator across Europe: Landesbuehnen Sachsen, T-Werk Potsdam, MoBe Berlin, Dock 11, Prague Quadrennial, Juggling Convention UK, Ballhaus Naunynstrasse Berlin, Tanzfabrik, Hau Berlin, and numerous others.
Since '94
artistic & executive director of Alban Elved Dance Company
Since '97




​
​
freelance designer, choreographer, artist in residence,  and educator across the US: UN Las Vegas, American Dance Festival, Int. Aerial Dance Festival, Snowy Range Dance Festival, Bricolage Arts Festival, SARUS Festival for Site-specific & Experimental Art, various New York Festivals, Auburn University, Salem College, Wake Forest University, University of Southern Mississippi, Coker College, East Carolina University, UNC Wilmington, Salem College, the H-Street Playhouse, and many more.
'13-'17
faculty at Salem College, USA, (Movement Science, Interdisciplinary Approaches)
Since '09
Licensed Massage Therapist NC #8931, CA #76349
'16-'19
NCBTMB approved provider (#1006) for continuing education: 'BII - The Body's Intrinsic Intelligence', 'Dynamic Bodywork'
​
'14
faculty at College of Wilmington (kinesiology)
Since '17
  • ​Instructor DAN220 Body's Intrinsic Intelligence, DRA40A Intro to Modern Dance,  Dra40B Intermediate Modern Dance
  • Instructor, DRA14 Intro to Contemporary Dance
  • TA in Design Department, DES 001 Intro to Design, DES175 Functional Apparel Design, DES115 Typography
  • Instructor, DRA180 Technical Theater
  • TA in Woodshoop, set-building
  • Theatre rigger and carpenter
  • Carpenter for TV sets, Freelance Staging
  • ​PhD Candidate in Performance Studies at UC Davis, estimated graduation date 2024, "Conditions for the Creation of a New Choreography"
I offer a variety of services: performances, teaching, community events, coaching, movement education, commissions. I passionately teach dance, movement research, choreography, design, scenic design, and technical theatre. I teach in the university system and I offer independent workshops and regular open, drop-in classes. Some descriptions are below. 
LIST OF UNIVERSITY TEACHING EXPERIENCE 2014-current:
DRA 43A
Contact Improvisation (remote/zoom)
Dept. of Theatre & Dance
​UC Davis, USA
Introduction to Contact Improvisation. Investigating fundamentals of contact improvisation and personal, creative, philosophical, and socio-cultural foundations and influences of this practice. Feminist teaching approaches, improvisational exploration of solo and partner work. Perception, connection, balance, gravity,  significance touch, contact, communication and 'being in relation'; collective solitude, ambiguous loss (if remote), safety, biomechanics, and authentic expression.  Taught in person and via zoom/remotely. ​
DRA 116
Costume Design in Film
Dept. of Theatre & Dance
​UC Davis, USA
TA, grading
DRA 43A
Afro-Brazilian Cultur and Dance
Dept. of Theatre & Dance
​UC Davis, USA
TA, grading
DRA 14
Intro to Cont. Dance
Dept. of Theatre & Dance
​UC Davis, USA
Considering cultural and social factors for choreographing and dancing.  Focus lies on creativity and personal expression.
The course gives much creative freedom and is meant to inspire creative risk-taking and working on something that is meaningful to the individual student, and/or helps deepen their personal and academic research. When taught via zoom, substantial attention is also be given to technology/cameras/zoom and film-making as a voice in the creative process. Exploration of emergence of authentic movement vocabulary and expression through dance. Improvisation and inter-disciplinarity as creative tools. Taught in person and via zoom/remotely. 
DRA 40A 
Intro to Modern Dance     
​UC Davis, USA
In Beginning Modern Dance we will work creatively and collaboratively. We analyse different dance techniques and explore how they differ from one another and what might have been motivational in their creation. We also create a dance piece together. As a daily practice we will move from the origins of anatomical joint function to explore ways of moving that are based on parameters that orbit around the tri-axiality and multi-directionality.  Taught in person and via zoom/remotely. ​
DRA 40B
Intermediate Modern Dance
​UC Davis, USA
Intermediate Modern Dance focuses more specifically on bio-mechanics and movement technique, illuminating definitions of alignment for the purpose of practicing bodily orchestration that facilitate athletic effortlessness and a refined understanding of the body schema. Exams are detail oriented and collaborative. Final project consist of a personalized project that connects class material to other areas of life/practice. Taught in person and via zoom/remotely. 
DES 001
Intro to Design
Teaching Assistant
​Design Department
​UC Davis, USA
Focus lies on ethics and raising awareness for the substantial responsibility and impact that designers have on social, environmental and cultural landscapes and on communities. In this course I am a teaching Assistant for UC Davis Professors James Housefield and Tim McNeill. I am usually teaching three sections of 25 students each, grading, assisting students with assignments and class goals, guiding them through several class projects, final presentations and the making of process books. In-person and remote/zoom.
DRA 180 
Behind the Scenes - Production Lab
​Dept. of Theatre & Dance
​UC Davis, USA
Through my experience as a scenic designer, stage hand, up-rigger, and carpenter I have had the opportunity to guide students through the online, asynchronous course in Theatre Laboratory (Technical Theatre) that was designed by UC Davis professor Maggie Morgan. Props, scene-shop, costume and wig, stage management, assistant Scenic  Designer, Sound tech, wardrobe, etc, Overview and Introduction to Technical Theatre. The course gives students the opportunity to get an introductory glimpse of all things back stage. I guide students through their unique and individual research papers and grade quizzes.
DAN 220
The Body's Intrinsic Intelligence
​Dance Department, Major in Movement Research
Salem College, ​USA
In this class I teach my approach to effortlessness in movement. The class focuses on movement research 'BII – The Body's Intrinsic Intelligence', and was taught for several years at Salem College, NC, Department of  'Dance & Movement Science'. The course is similar to DRA40B and is an advanced course. The course contributed significantly to laying the foundations for the forming of a Major in Movement Research at Salem College. Within my adjunct appointment at Salem College I had other departmental obligations, I incubated and coordinated a movement research festival, a summer program and ongoing community relations through an event and exchange series.
DES 115 
Typography 
Teaching Assistant
​Design Department
​UC Davis, USA
Introduction to typography. Teaching assistant.
DES 175 
Functional Apparel Design
Teaching Assistant
Design Department
​UC Davis, USA
Teaching assistant.