Sofia Kalogeropoulou, Our people, School of Performing Arts

Teaching Fellow in Dance
BPerfArts(Auckland) MDanceSt(Otago)

Tel +64 3 479 8891
Email sofia.kalogeropoulou@otago.ac.nz

Research Expertise

Dance, culture and national identity
Dance and gender
Choreographic composition
Performance
Contemporary dance and ballet techniques and repertoire
Dance in popular culture
Somatic practices

Sofia has graduated with a Masters of Dance Studies from the University of Otago and holds a Bachelor in Performing Arts with a major in dance from the University of Auckland. A certified member of the Royal Academy of Dance she has taught ballet in professional and community institutions in Greece, London UK and New Zealand. She is a graduate of the City Ballet Foundation in Auckland where she was mentored by Timothy Gordon in Contemporary Ballet and Alexander Technique, Juliet Fisher in Graham Technique and Mary Jane O'Reilly in Limbs Repertoire. Sofia was a principal dancer with Company Z in Auckland and now is a freelance choreographer.

Her research focuses on dance, culture and national identity, and dance and gender. She also explores the relationship between dance and somatic practices, in particular ballet and Alexander Technique.

Performance Credits

Dancer in the following productions:

Dances about Love, Pretty Gay Productions, Playhouse Theatre, Dunedin (Nov 2011).
Ocean Wave by Lyne Pringle, Caroline Plummer Community Dance Fellow, Dunedin (Sept 2011).
House of Memories by Suzanne Cowan, Caroline Plummer Community Dance Fellow, Dunedin (July 2010).
Cell, Dance Lab, Dunedin Fringe Festival (Mar 2010).
Tertiary Colours, Dance Lab, Tempo Dance Festival, Auckland (Oct 2008).
Crossing Borders, Dance Lab, Fringe Festival, Dunedin (April 2008).
Alana Haines Fundraising Gala, Auckland (May 2007).
Peter and the Wolf, Mass, Fragments, and KROOF (chor. Timothy Gordon) and Love Song (chor. Mary-Jane O'Reilly), Tempo Dance Festival, Auckland (Oct 2006).
Blue Tango (chor. Timothy Gordon), Littleweed Festival, Kati Kati (Mar 2006).
TVNZ Halberg Sports Awards, Manukau (Feb 2006).
Star Jam Stage Show, Fundraising Gala, Manukau (May 2005).
Limbs Re-booted, Littleweed Festival, Kati Kati (Feb 2005).
Gravitations (chor. Timothy Gordon) and Ironsand, Reptile, Talking Heads, St. Matthews Passion (chor. Mary-Jane O'Reilly), University of Auckland (Nov 2004).
St. Matthews Passion (chor. Mary-Jane O'Reilly), Trinity Cathedral, Auckland (Apr 2003).
Spartacus (chor. Mary-Jane O'Reilly) with the Auckland Dance Company, Trinity Cathedral, Auckland (Dec 2002).

Supervision

Current students

Wallace Kelsi, studying towards a Master of Science (MSci), Landing Biomechanics in Competitive Irish Dance, co-supervision with Dr Peter Lamb.

Publications

Kalogeropoulou, S., & Parkins-Craig, M. (2024, February). TwentyNineteen: An interplay of performance, care and emotion in the creative process. Verbal presentation at the Performance of the Real Research Theme Interdisciplinary Conference: Performing Care and Carelessness, Dunedin, New Zealand. Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs

du Plessis, H. (cello), Roberts, M. (lighting designer), Holland, M. (sound engineer), Petersen, T. (violin), & Kalogeropoulou, S. (choreographer) (2023, 18-19 March). TwentyNineteen, at the Dunedin Fringe Festival, and composed by Maddy Parkins-Craig, Te Korokoro o Te Tūī, Dunedin, New Zealand. [Performance]. Performance

Cattermole, J., Halba, H., Kalogeropoulou, S., Roberts, M., & Wardell, S. (2022). Cartographies of a future. Dunedin Fringe Festival, Allen Hall Theatre, Dunedin, New Zealand. [Performance Installation]. Creative Work

Wardell, S. (poet), & Kalogeropoulou, S. (dancer) (2022, October). The air we breathe, the air we fear, Life's a Gas: Art+Science Exhibition (AIR), Dunedin Community Gallery, Dunedin, New Zealand. [Performance]. Performance

Wallace, K., Kalogeropoulou, S., & Lamb, P. (2021). The time-continuous association between turnout and axial joint moments in the competitive Irish dance ‘fly’ landing. Sports Biomechanics. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1080/14763141.2021.2016927 Journal - Research Article

2024

Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs

2023

Performance

2022

Performance

Creative Work

2021

Journal - Research Article

Journal - Research Other

Kalogeropoulou, S. (2021). [Review of the performance Parris Goebel presents the Royal Family NZ Tour]. DANZ Magazine. Retrieved from https://danz.org.nz/DANZ Magazine Reviews

Kalogeropoulou, S. (2021). [Review of the book Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui: Dramaturgy and engaged spectatorship]. Dance Research, 39(1), 130-131. doi: 10.3366/drs.2021.0327

Journal - Professional & Other Non-Research Articles

Cattermole, J., Halba, H., Kalogeropoulou, S., & Tucker, H. (2021). Welcome / Haere Mai. Performance of the Real, 2, 4. doi: 10.21428/b54437e2.b2522cdc

Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs

Kalogeropoulou, S. (2021, October). Performing resilience and reconciliation: Vigils, silent marches and collective action [Panel: Collectivities, COVID and embodied actions]. Verbal presentation at the Galvanizing Dance Studies: Building Antiracist Praxis, Transformative Connections, and Movement(s) of Radical Care, [Online].

Performance

Martin, A. F. (director), Kalogeropoulou, S. (choreographer), & McCormick, A. (vocal director, production manager) (2021, 15-18 April). Heathers: The musical, presented by Pop Up Productions NZ, based on the film written by Daniel Waters, New New New Corporation Brewery, Dunedin, New Zealand. [Performance].

du Plessis, H. (cello), Halba, H. (writer, curator, director), O'Connor, S. (writer, curator, director), Young, S. (writer, curator, director), & Kalogeropoulou, S. (choreographer) (2021, 2-10 July). Struggling with Lentils, an immersive theatre installation, presented by Talking House in association with the School of Performing Arts, Allen Hall Theatre, Dunedin, New Zealand. [Performance].

2020

Journal - Professional & Other Non-Research Articles

Kalogeropoulou, S. (2020). Leap Dance Symposium: Dancing Heritage, Tracing Lineage. DANZ Magazine, 59, 28-29. [Review].

2019

Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

Kalogeropoulou, S. (2019). Dancing Greekness in-between biculturalism and multiculturalism in Aotearoa New Zealand. Proceedings of the 25th Annual Conference of the New Zealand Studies Association (NZSA): A Sea of Islands: The View from the Pacific. Retrieved from http://www.nzsa.co.uk/conferences.htm

Performance

Huber, R. (director), Fortin, M. (performer), & Kalogeropoulou, S. (choreographer) (2019, 15 November). La Panamericana, based on the short story La Autopista del Sur by Julio Cortázar. Performed at the joint New Zealand Hispanic Studies Seminar (NHUSS) & Leap Dance Symposium, Allen Hall Theatre, Dunedin, New Zealand. [Performance].

Adams, P. (music director, conductor), Dennis, T. (music director, piano), Ritchie, A. (music director, conductor), Petersen, T. (orchestra leader, soloist, violin), Du Plessis, H. (orchestra leader, soloist, cello), Kalogeropoulou, S. (choreographer), Bellingham, J. (vocalist), & Cattermole, J. (taonga pūoro) (2019, 2 June). A celebration of Otago in words and music, with the 150th Gala Concert Orchestra, City Choir Dunedin and Southern Concert of Voices, Dunedin Town Hall, Dunedin, New Zealand. [Performance].

Halba, H. (co-director, researcher, deviser), Roberts, M. (designer (stage, light, sound), deviser, researcher, producer), Hutchinson, D. (physicist, deviser), Kalogeropoulou, S. (choreographer, deviser), & Petersen, T. (musician, deviser) (2019, 26-30 March). Fission, an afterburner production, Allen Hall Theatre, Dunedin, New Zealand. [Performance].

2018

Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs

Kalogeropoulou, S. (2018, July). Dance, cultural identity and the 'significant other': Re-defining national identity in times of conflict. Verbal presentation at the Dance Studies Association Annual Conference: Contra: 'Dance and Conflict', Valetta, Malta.

Performance

Fortin, M. (performer, translator), Huber, R. (director, playwright), Kalogeropoulou, S. (choreographer), & Cattermole, J. (taonga puoro) (2018, 15-17 March). The Subterraneans, at the Dunedin Fringe Festival, New Athenaeum Theatre, Dunedin, New Zealand. [Performance].

Fortin, M. (performer), Huber, R. (director), & Kalogeropoulou, S. (choreographer) (2018, 12-14 March). The Motorway, at the Dunedin Fringe Festival, based on the short story The Southern Through-Way by Julio Cortázar, New Athenaeum Theatre, Dunedin, New Zealand. [Performance].

2017

Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs

Headley, J., & Kalogeropoulou, S. (2017, October). Expressing Greekness in a time of crisis: kalozoia ['good life'] versus austerity? Verbal presentation at the European Union Centres Joint Conference: Fulfilling the Vision: EU Futures? Melbourne, Australia.

Performance

Huber, R. (director), Kalogeropoulou, S. (choreographer), Fortin, M. (performer), & Roberts, M. (lighting designer) (2017, 23-24 March). The Motorway (23-24 March), based on the short story La Autopista del Sur by Julio Cortazar, Allen Hall Theatre, Dunedin, New Zealand. [Performance].

2016

Journal - Research Article

Kalogeropoulou, S. (2016). “Zorba the flashmobian”: National communities go viral. Dance Research Aotearoa, 4, 153-169. doi: 10.15663%2Fdra.v4i1.51

Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Full paper

Kalogeropoulou, S. (2016). Greek dance, identity, and difference in a cosmopolitan Europe. Proceedings of the Congress on Research in Dance (CORD) Conference. (pp. 235-239). doi: 10.1017/cor.2016.32

Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs

Kalogeropoulou, S. (2016, November). Dancing Greekness in-between biculturalism and multiculturalism in Aotearoa/New Zealand. Verbal presentation at the Congress on Research in Dance & Society of Dance History Scholars, Claremont, USA.

Kalogeropoulou, S. (2016, April). 'Zorba the Flashmobian': National communities go viral. Verbal presentation at the Ritual and Cultural Performance Hui and Symposium, Dunedin, New Zealand.

Performance

Huber, R. (director), & Kalogeropoulou, S. (choreographer) (2016, 28-29 April). Carrion Flower, written by David Howard, Allen Hall Theatre, Dunedin, New Zealand. [Performance].

Huber, R. (writer, director), Shaw Bennett, N. (recorded voice), Cattermole, J. (performer), Roberts, M. (lighting design), Kalogeropoulou, S. (choreographer), Huber, F. (music), & Powell-Moore, P. (music, recorded sounds) (2016, 15-16 September). Meat/Love/Die, Allen Hall Theatre, Dunedin, New Zealand. [Performance].

Cattermole, J. (Taonga pūoro), Kalogeropoulou, S. (choreographer), & Huber, R. (director) (2016, 13 July). Department of Music Showcase Series: World Music Concert I: Aotearoa & Java, with the Gamelan, Marama Hall, Dunedin, New Zealand. [Performance].

2015

Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs

Kalogeropoulou, S. (2015, November). "Zorba the Flashmobian": National communities go viral. Verbal presentation at the International Conference on Community Dance: Moving Communities, Dunedin, New Zealand.

2014

Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs

Headley, J., & Kalogeropoulou, S. (2014, June). Expressing Greekness in a time of crisis: 'Kalozoia' versus austerity? Verbal presentation at the 10th Central and East European International Studies Association (CEEISA) Convention, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.

2013

Journal - Research Article

Kalogeropoulou, S. (2013). Greek dance and everyday nationalism in contemporary Greece. Dance Research Aotearoa, 1(1), 55-74. doi: 10.15663%2Fdra.v1i1.6

Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs

Kalogeropoulou, S. (2013, February). Thinking and sensing: A case study of ballet as a somatic practice. Verbal presentation at the Institute for Yoga, Dance and Movement Studies Symposium: Eastwest Somatics, Dunedin, New Zealand.

Awarded Masters Degree

Kalogeropoulou, S. (2013). Dancing Greekness: Folk dance and national identity in Greece (MDanceSt). University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/10523/4474

2012

Journal - Research Article

Kolb, A., & Kalogeropoulou, S. (2012). In defence of ballet: Women, agency and the philosophy of pleasure. Dance Research, 30(2), 107-125. doi: 10.3366/drs.2012.0042

2010

Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs

Kalogeropoulou, S. (2010, June). Dancing nationalism in the Balkans. Verbal presentation at the International Dance Symposium: Dancing Across the Disciplines, Dunedin, New Zealand.