Biography
David Zambrano has been making dance for over 30 years. In his pursuits as both a creator and educator, Zambrano has visited 63 countries, worked with thousands of dancers, and has performed at hundreds of venues across the world. His pieces range from set choreography, structured improvisation, and pure improvisation. Born in Venezuela, Zambrano spent 15 years in New York, and now lives between Amsterdam and Brussels continuing to perform and teach worldwide. His improvisation is committed to art as a cultural exchange developing the creative process in a world without borders. Zambrano sees improvisation as an art and choreography as a vehicle to further develop his work in improvisation.
Zambrano’s pursuits as an improviser, choreographer, and performer have been presented all over the world. The most notable examples of his original projects of both solo and group work include: Sal-to (2015), A Song For Two Humans (2015), Tierras Enamoradas/Lands in Love (2013), Why Not! (2012), My Fire Is Still Burning For You (2011), HOLES (2009), SHOCK (2009), Soul Project (2006), Twelve Flies Went Out at Noon (2005), Barcelona in 48 Hours (2004), The Rabbit Project/Proyecto Conejo (2003), Mandraking (2002), David Zambrano Invites…(2000), Acme (1999), Ballroom (1996), Proyecto: Z (1994), Red Blink (1994), Agua Fuerte (1993), Cancion de Diente (1993), Sabana (1990), Fetiche (1987), and Para Carmen (1984). He also founded the Festival de Danza Postmoderna in Venezuela in 1989 and was its director until 1993.
Zambrano’s methods in improvisation are influenced by the training he teaches around the globe. The most notable method is his Flying Low technique which examines the dancer’s relationship to the ground; and Passing Through group composition exercising the practice of infinity possibilities of moving together inside a defined time-space environment. These techniques are very sought after by festivals, dance companies and schools including: Manufacture (Switzerland), Movement Research (New York), American Dance Festival (USA and Japan), PARTS (Belgium), La Caldera (Spain), Impulstanz Festival (Austria), Wim Vandekeybus/Ultima Vez (Belgium), Sasha Waltz and Guests (Germany), New York Dance Intensive (USA), AREA (Spain), The School for New Dance, Development (Holland), Dansens Hus (Denmark), Rosas (Belgium), La Anonima Imperial (Spain), Danza Abierta (Cuba), Danza Combinatoria (Cuba), Retazos (Cuba), Espacio Alterno (Venezuela), Neodanza (Venezuela), Taller de Danza Contemporanea de Caracas (Venezuela),Cullbert Ballet (Sweden), among others.
His performance work has been presented at or by: Charleroi Danse (Belgium), La Biennale di Venezia (Italy), Fringe Arts Festival (USA), Spring Dance Festival (Ireland), June Events (France), Festival Deltebre Dansa, Full Moon Dance Festival (Finland), Dance Week Festival (Croacia), Movement Research Presenting Series (USA), Dance Theater Workshop (USA), The Kitchen (USA), Festival Aix-en-Provence (France), Tanzwerkstatt Berlin (Germany), Tamperen
International Theater Festival (Finland), Improvisation Festival/New York (USA), Primer Taller Internacional de Danza (Cuba), Periferics (Spain), P.S. 122 (USA), CODA (Norway), Impulstanz Festival (Austria), Konfrontance (Czech Republic), Danspace Project at St. Mark’s Church (USA), the Whitney Museum (USA), Theater Frascati (Netherlands), and many others.
Past collaborators include: Iva Bittova, Jimmy Ortiz Chinchilla, Milan Herich, Peter Jasko, Edivaldo Ernesto, Horacio Macuacua, Ismaera Takeo Ishii, Florian Vuille, Jennifer Monson, Sasha Waltz, Mark Tompkins, Mat Voorter, Simone Forti, Pooh Kaye, Simone Sandroni, Bill T. Jones, Donald Fleming, Jill Becker, Yoshiko Chuma, Ismael Houston-Jones, Jordi Cortez, Hisako Horikawa, Frans Poelstra, Palle Dyrval, Katie Duck, Michael Moore, Sam Bennett, Robin Holcomb, Yuval Gabay, Guy Yarden, Otto Lechner, Max Nagl, Miguel Noya, Johannes Bauer, Dietmar Diesner, Joelle Leandro, Michael Vatcher, Nuno Rebelo, Misha Mengelberg, Ab Bears, Wilbert De Joode, Tristan Honsinger, Thomas Hauert.
He has been the recipient of many grants, awards and fellowships as well as having served on various panels and juries. They include the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York Foundation for the Arts, the Suitcase Fund administered by Dance Theater Workshop with funds by the Rockefeller Foundation, The John Simon Guggenheim Choreographer Fellowship, the New York State Council for the Arts, The Jerome Foundation, and the Mertz Gilmore
Foundation. Zambrano has been a panelist for the New York Foundation for the Arts, Certamen Coreografico de Madrid, and the PARTS school for Contemporary Dance in Brussels. As a recognized artist of merit, he was granted special residency status by the Dutch government.