Lisa Kraus & Hendrik Van Maele

Lisa Kraus & Hendrik Van Maele's biography

Lisa Kraus’ dancing life began at square dances called by her father and in classes taught by Jane Dudley, an early Graham dancer. She graduated from Bennington College where she took part in the early development of contact improvisation with Steve Paxton. In New York (1977-1989), she performed in the Trisha Brown Dance Company and choreographed and performed as an independent and for her own company. Later ventures included teaching, curating the Performing Arts Series at Bryn Mawr College, writing extensively on dance and founding thINKingDANCE, an online dance journal and dance writers training scheme. She lives in Philadelphia where she studies Soul Line Dance.

Hendrik Van Maele began circus training at the age of four and graduated from ACaPA in 2017, specializing in partner acrobatics. Together with his acrobatic partners, he founded the collective Familiar Faces, whose performance Surface was nominated as a Circusnext laureate.

Alongside creating their own work, the collective has collaborated with other makers, including Alexander Vantournhout (SCREWS) and Floor van Leeuwen (MUUR).
In 2021, Hendrik received a two-year maker’s grant from the contemporary circus production house TENT, which marked the beginning of his path as a solo artist. Since then, he has been balancing the creation of his own work with performing for others and serving as an outside eye for various productions, such as Chasing Splinters/Doe Mee.
Over the past two years, Hendrik has been developing a series of solos under the title Crude Articulations of My Self, combining his interests in circus, dance, and text. In 2023, he was invited to write a State of the Circus for the opening of the TINAC Festival in Amsterdam—an opportunity that grew into an ongoing exploration of the use of text on stage.
Since 2018, Hendrik has been studying regularly with Martin Kilvady, who continues to be a key guide in his artistic and personal journey through the world of dance and beyond.