kai strathmann

dancer/choreographer/composer

curriculum vitae
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i am a choreographer, composer, and dance teacher with a diverse background in contemporary and urban dance. my movement vocabulary is shaped by 16 years of street dance (L.A. hip-hop, popping) and 11 years of contemporary dance. i hold a bachelor of arts in contemporary dance and a master of arts in choreography from folkwang university of arts, essen. currently, i am pursuing a master of music in integrative composition at ICEM, folkwang university of arts, which i will complete in april 2025.

my choreographic work was recognized with a nomination for the kurt-jooss-preis 2019 for my piece regnet es at PACT Zollverein Choreographic Center. since 2019,i have been working as a choreography assistant, composer, and dancer with YIBU. from 2013 to 2017, i was a guest artist with pina bausch tanztheater wuppertal, an experience that profoundly shaped my artistic voice. my career also extends into the urban and commercial dance world, where I collaborated with nike, adidas, puma, odlo, bentley, porsche, BMW, and audi (2007–2011). additionally, i have performed on stage for national and international music artists and appeared in various TV shows.

with over 12 years of experience teaching international masterclasses and workshops, I bridge the worlds of contemporary and urban dance through authentic and creative bodywork & training, deeply influenced by music. before fully dedicating myself to dance, music and art, i worked as an IT-system engineer (2003–2005) after completing my professional training at GIT in gelsenkirchen-buer (1999–2002). i am fluent in german and english — but above all, movement is my mother tongue.