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tEaM

Rachel melief

Artistic leader

Founder and artistic leader of Bencha Theater. She was born in a family of many performers. After finishing the dance academy in Rotterdam, she danced at many dance companies and she has specialist herself in balancing and aerial acrobatics.

She was a dancer and acrobat for many year at Bencha Theater, but now she is focused on the organization and creating beautiful choreographies. 

dimiter simeonov

Co-founder / Acrobat

Ever since he was a 7 years old boy, he only thought about acrobatics. As a member of the national team of Bulgaria, he won 3 golden medals at the Acrobatic World championship and he can call himself the world champion and a Master of sport in Acrobatics .After that adventure he desided to be a freelance acrobat and stilt performer at different theater companies. At Bencha, Dimiter is responsible for coaching new talents. He is a teacher in Acrobatics at different studies as well. 

Micka Karlsson

Acrobat/dancer

Micka started her performance career as an actor in the Swedish circus Norsholms Ungdoms.After a few years she started an own group with circus artists; Norrköping Circus en Variété, named after her home base. With this group she won the Acrobatic European championship in 1996 and she competed a couple of times in the world championship in Monte Carlo. Since 2003 she is one of the permanent dancers of ISH and from 2005 an acrobat of Bencha Theater. 

Sarah kooij

Acrobat/dancer

Sarah’s passion for gymnastics started when she was very young. When she was a 13-year old girl she made it to the Dutch national gymnastics team. She made the switch to theatre years later and she worked in different productions. After her first theatre performance, she never stopped. In 2003 she started her own company Xara Acrobatics. Since 2005 she's a teammember of Bencha Theater and really a pearl of the hard core of Bencha. 

Romain touron

Acrobat/dancer

Our French talent studied Dance, like hiphop, urban, break dance, modern and jazz. After he finished this study, he applied himself to the National Circus school of Paris. Here he specialized in balance acrobatics. He dansed at different theater- and televison productions and movies. With his talent and the combination of dance and acrobatics, Romain is a huge asset in our team.

MARIEKE van der heyden

Cellist

Marieke feels herself first and foremost a musician. She plays, next to the (electric) cello, also theremin and glass harmonica and has a wide interest in many musical styles and movements. In her work as a musician/performer/composer it is central that concepts arise from music. Her strength lies in the elaboration of ideas in musical concepts. She knows how to translate atmospheres and movement into music. Based on this, Marieke composes and performs for Bencha Theater, and in her own productions: muziek aan bed.

ROBERT BABA

Violist

At a very young age, Robert was already busy with music. After the Rotterdam Coonservatory he studied light music at the conservatory of Arnhem. No music style is too crazy for him. Metropole orchestra, musicals, film music, advertisingjingles, experimental music or a heavy jazz jam session... Robert likes to get caught in it. Since the beginning of 2006 Robert can also be heard at Bencha Theater. Together with Marieke van der Heijden he composes the music for the acts and musical concepts of Bencha Theater.

rosana caldarera

Freelance dancer

She followed her education at the national dance academy of Rome and a follow-up study at the National Academy of Nice. In addition, she is classically trained in the Vaganova style at the academy in Genoa and Paris. She has worked in various modern jazz companies in France, Italy and the Netherlands. At Bencha Theater she learned the acrobatic techniques and tissue. She makes it her own. The combination of her dance qualities and acrobatics make her a wonderful performer. 

FREELANCE ACROBATS

Bencha Theater works with different freelance acrobats, dancers and stilt performers, for example Anna Gehlin, Femke Luycks, en Deborah van Genechten

rigging & technique

Bencha Theater looks per performance if technique is needed and who fits best for the job. We like to work with:  

- Rigging and sound: ignas eeltink

- Rigging and technique: diter toprek

- Rigging and technique: peter mckenzie - eventions

- Technical producer Video Wall Dance: Frank verbeek 

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