Juliana Brustik

Juliana’s interest in dance and the visual arts began at an early age. She started  formal training in dance as a student in Germany and continued these studies while living in the USA and Amsterdam. Settled in Britain from 1980, Juliana attended classes taught by Suraya Hilal. She studied and later worked with Suraya, also co-managing the Hilal School of Raqs Sharqi with other senior teachers until the mid-1990s. Alongside her studies of Raqs Sharqi she took a 3 year degree course in Contemporary Dance, Performance Skills, Choreography and the Visual Arts.

Since 1988 Juliana has worked full time as a professional dance teacher, performer and choreographer and since 1997 she has co-managed the Raqs Sharqi Society. She was one of the co-ordinators and teachers of the Society’s Teacher Training Foundation course and has initiated and/or co-organised many other study and performance events for the Society.

Juliana’s teaching and performance work has taken her all over the UK and to other European countries. Over the years she has directed many performance groups, dance events and created a variety of pieces for groups of dancers. Her strong interest in choreography has led her to develop an acclaimed choreography course for advanced dancers for the Society’s Summer School 2003.

Her wide knowledge of other dance forms and body awareness methods informs Juliana’s teaching. Her aim is to give her students a thorough technical grounding, confidence in musical interpretation, a basic understanding of choreography and body awareness. Over the years many of her students have gained independence and developed into teachers and performers in their own right.

With Judy Hammond Juliana has developed Performance Skills courses for advanced dancers. These courses have given dancers a space in which to push boundaries and delve more deeply into the physical, emotional and aesthetic possibilities of the dance.

At present Juliana is concentrating on her own performance work. In 2006 she invited Nensi Bego, a dancer of Albanian origin, to form a dance company with her. The aim of Neju Dance Company is to create both traditional and innovative work for stage settings as well as informal events, working across disciplines and with live music.