Arianna Economou is a pioneer choreographer dancer interactive artist, performer, Movement re-educator, Certified Pedagogue in Dance ( Exeter Universtiy) and a drama in Education lecturer at Frederick Polytechnic and Intercollege. Also an organizer, founding member and director of the NGO ECHO ARTS Living Arts Center a center and an activist in the community pioneering various creative arts bicommunal projects.
Arianna has been active in dance politics and is also the initiator and one of the founding members for "The New Movement of Dance Groups , Dancers and Choreographers of Cyprus" Nea Kinisis the first association for professional dance- artists.
Arianna’s deep background in classical ballet, contemporary dance, and New Dance (involved in the post modern movement in UK) has been a great strength in her pioneer work here in Cyprus, and instrumental for over 20 years in giving dance a place in the Cyprus Contemporary Arts scene.
She has participated in many world festivals and has performed her own solo and group work in England, Germany, Greece, Holland, Sweden, Armenia, Portugal , Egypt.
Works so far (a selection) : "Soma –Χώρος" 1983, "Strings of Time" 1984, "As you like it" 1986, "Τας Παφίας Ήμιν" 1986, "Stone to Stone" 1993, "Inner Landscapes and Haikus" 1994, "Where She Went" 1996, "Walking the Line" 1998, "In a dark time.." 2002, "seeds" 2003, "Aphrodite’s Fest" 2003. Her solo work "In a dark time" won the 1st prize at the Dance Platform 2002. She organized amongst other events the 6th European Contact Conference (1990), the first Mediterranean Dance and Disability Program Extended Mobility 1997,the Drama in Education project Echo Exchange (1987-2001) and the 1st Intercommunal performance collaborative event Shared Echoes I and II (2004) and was the co director of the project "One Square Foot of Earth" an exploration toward interdisciplinary performer training a project between "Theatre Alibi" UK, Exeter Universtiy (UK) and Echo Arts living arts centre, Cyprus.
Since 2005 she has been oraganizing the 1st Video Dance Project / Film showings and workshop and performance "URBAN BODIES I and II" in Nicosia, in collaboration with "Brave New Media", the International Film Festival of Thessaloniki and film director Lutz Gregor (Germany) and the awarded film maker Rachel Davies (UK).
Also organized and co directed with Dorinda Hulton (UK) the Interdisciplinary intercommunal performance "ONE SQUARE FOOT : A composition in seven movements" (26 Aug – 2 5th Sept 2005) which was invited at WIESBADEN NEW PLAYS FESTIVAL in JUNE 2006.
Arianna this summer was the collaborator / choreographer in THOC/s summer production for Epidavria 2005 "ANTIGONE".
She collaborates at times with THOC and CTO cultural programmes.
In 2005 Arianna has received the Tefkros Anthias and Theodosis Pierides Award for Culture, for her work as a pioneer dance- artist in Cyprus, and the THOC prize for Choreography for the theatre season 2004- 2005.