Company members
Bencha is comprised of a wealth of international artists. We would like to introduce them:
 Rachel Melief, artistic director
Rachel was born into a family of performers: along with her mother and both sisters, she found her way into the world of performance. Together with Dimiter Simeonov, Rachel established Bencha in 2002.
Rachel studied to become a dance teacher at the Rotterdam Dance Academy and afterwards took a second study of dance performance. Later she went to New York to specialise in modern and jazz dance techniques under Jennifer Muller, Lynn Simonson and José Limón.
In Holland she danced with Blok and Steel – a dance group from Rotterdam. She has also worked with a variety of other companies including Pavana, Close-Act and Circo Nando Orfei (Italy), touring Europe and the rest of the world. Rachel has performed on big festivals such as Carnaval di Venezia (Italy) and Festival de Danse (Montreal, Canada).
Rachel discovered acrobatics when she joined the acrobatic and theatre group, Corpus, based in Amsterdam. From 1996 – 2002 Rachel was involved in performances of Fata Morgana and Circus Jeroen Bosch (in co-operation with Flairck).
Rachel also gives dance and acrobatic classes at various dance academies.
 Dimiter Simeonov
Dimiter, alongside Rachel, is the co-founder of Bencha Theater. As a seven year old boy, he practised acrobatics with endless energy. As a result he quickly became a member of the Bulgarian National Sports Acrobatics Team. Eleven years later he won three gold medals at the Sports Acrobatics World Championships, earning the title of World Champion and Master of Sports in Acrobatics.
After his studies at the Sports Academy (specialising, of course, in Acrobatics) Dimiter moved to Holland and worked as a dancer and acrobat with the acrobatic and theatre company, Corpus. Alongside this, he worked as a freelance acrobat and stilt performer for a variety of companies, including Mang’s Masktheater, Teatro Pavana and Close-Act.
Dimiter also nurtures Holland’s up and coming talent by teaching acrobatics to students at a variety of dance academies.
Sarah Kooij
Sarah’s passion for gymnastics began when she was six years old. By the time she was thirteen she had already gained a place in the Dutch Gymnastics Team. This adventure lasted for two years when she transferred to acrogym: gymnastics, combined with dance.
The step into the theatre world was a natural progression and began when she joined the acrobatic and theatre group, Corpus. Since then, she has never looked back.
In 2003 she started creating acrobatic performances for her own company called Xara acrobatics. Since 2005, she also performs for Bencha Theater.
 Micka Karlsson
Micka has spent most of her life as a circus artist, first performing and touring the world with the Swedish group, Norsholms Ungdoms circus.
After a few years, she, along with several other artists started a group called Norrköping Circus en Variété: named after her home town in Sweden. They won the 1996 European Championships of Acrobatics and on several occasions entered the World Championships in Monte Carlo.
Since 2003, Micka is a member of ISH, and performs in the shows Freestylish and 4-ish. Micka has performed with Bencha Theater since 2005.
Marieke van der Heyden - Celliste
A graduate from the Sweelinck Music Academy (Amsterdam) and the Dutch Royal Music Academy (The Hague), this talented cellist and composer has developed many of Bencha Theater's enchanting musical concepts since 2003.
Theatre marks a special place in Marieke's musical heart: she was a member of the cello quartet CUBE and the musical theatre group Flairck and with Saw the Celli, she created a childrens' musical programme. Other performances include various musical productions, such as rock CD's The Human Equation and The Final Experiment by Ayreon. Currently, as an independent performer and composer, Marieke is the initiator of the foundation Working Wood with which she is creating the musical PLOINK for children.
With Bencha Theatre Marieke also plays the theremin, the glass harmonica and the musical saw.
 Robert Baba - Violist
Since he was six, Robert was in love with the violin. After he graduated from the Rotterdam Conservatorium, he followed another study of light music at the Conservatorium of Arnhem.
No music is too crazy for Robert. Classical symphonies, musicals, film music, jingles for advertisements, experimental music or even jam session. Robert loves to play anything!
In 2003 he joined forces with other musicians to form Mediterranean Sundance, an ensemble for gentle, Mediterranean music.
Robert has been working with Bencha Theater since 2006.
 Rossana Caldarera
This passionate contemporary dancer has been working for our company since 2009. Contracted especially for the theatre version of Esitu. She followed her training at the National Dance Academy in Rome and continued her studies at the National Academy in Nice (F). She is furthermore classically trained in the Vaganova style at the academy in Genoa (I) and Paris. She has worked for various modern jazz companies in France, Italy and the Netherlands. With Bencha, she has mastered our tissu theater techniques and acrobatics. The skill combination of dance and acrobatics make her into a great performer.
 David Maes
David has been working with our company since 2008 and strengthens our team with his powerful presentation in dance and acrobatics. He originally gained his credentials in acro gymnastics: from 1993-2000 he was a member of the Belgian national team and won several medals at the Belgian, European and world acrobatics championships. He obtained his Master’s degree in Physical Education at the University of Ghent (B) and followed many dance classes in acrobatic modern dance and jazz. David has worked as a dancer and acrobat in various musicals such as West Side Story, The 3 Musketeers, Romeo and Juliet, and in several TV appearances.
Deborah van Genechten
This Belgian beauty recently joined our team. With her roots in dance and acrobatics she is a valuable addition to our company. Deborah studied sports science in Hasselt (B) and continued to specialise in dance at the Fontys Dance Academy in Tilburg (NL). She professionalised her dance performance skills in projects such as The Hollands Show Ballet, musical variety shows and several television commercials. With Bencha Theatre she is now mastering the techniques of aerial acrobatics. Displaying a great deal of perseverance and enthusiasm she is a talent to be reckoned with.
Bencha Theater works and has previously worked with: Vivian Hendriks (Netherlands), Mirella Pirskanen (Finland), Vicky Steggles (United Kingdom) Wibbe Pompe (Netherlands), Christine Knoll (United Kingdom), Ana Mihalovic (Former Yugoslavia), Caroline Bon (Netherlands), Femke Luycks (Belgium), Suzana Gomes (Brasil), Touron Romain (France), Kim Fisscher (United Kingdom/Austria).
Anique Bosch
Ignas Eeltink
Sound technician
Diter Toprek
Rigging and stage technician, www.toprek.com
Frank Verbeek
Lighting design, www.switch-concepts.com |
