Ortrun Stanzel

Role: Faculty Member (Contemporary, Graham Technique, Partnering, Composition), Choreographer.
Background & Elite Sports: Studied professional stage dance in Berlin, followed by advanced training in modern dance techniques in New York City. At age 16, she achieved elite athletic status as a German, European, and World Champion in Standard Formation Dance.
High-Profile Collaborations: Freelance artist since 2008, working across contemporary dance, theater, and cinema. She collaborates with major US choreographers (Oliver Steele) and choreographs for institutions like the Deutsches Theater as well as acclaimed film directors, including Lars Kraume, Detlef Buck, and Denis Gansel.
Teaching Focus & Dancer Longevity: Teaching contemporary tech, composition, and the historic Graham Technique. Leveraging a foundational education in medicine, she created an innovative Applied Anatomy for Dancers curriculum, providing professional students with elite physical coaching and pain management techniques.