PINION & CROWN – Curriculum Vitae
Sara Marin (Italy) and Griet Vanden Houden (Belgium) both come from Academic backgrounds as well as having studied at the National Academy of Dance Rome (IT) and de!Kunsthumaniora Antwerpen (BE).
They first met at SEAD (Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance) (AT) 2008-2011. They have been working for choreographers such as: Roberto Olivan, Todd Williams, Quan Bui Ngoc, Jelka Milic, Ori Flomin an many more..
After graduating, they completed a one year Pilates comprehensive teacher training (mat and equipment), at the Academy of Modern Pilates International (AT).
During and after school Sara and Griet spent a lot of time together, working, sharing ideas, moments of growth, tastes and traditions; influencing and enriching each other.
Being friends and professionally working together in different fields (such as: dance, Pilates, yoga aerial, Spiraldynamik, pre & postnatal training, teaching, performing, coaching,  choreographing , art directing, casting in live events, photo and video productions) they have built a special connection that is reflected in their own work. They currently continue their artistic collaboration together, although from different bases, respectively Sara in St. Gallen (CH) and Griet in Bad Goisern (AT), where they have put down roots and established their own centres.

Projects:

2023 – Showreel – Short film.
2022 – Melting Skies – Short film – collab. ParadigMan.
2019/2021 – Décadanse – Live-performance – Short film – Photographic installation
2017/2019 – OXYMORON – Live performance – Short film – Photographic installation.
2017 – Filter – Photographic installation –  collab. Atelier AUTHENTIC.
2015/2016 – SAME same BUT DIFFERENT – Live performance – short film – Photographic installation.

Festival/ Exhibition/ Gallery:

2022
IMVA International Music Video Awards in Budapest (HU)
High Tatras film, music and visual arts festival in Košice (SK)
KURZFILM WETTBEWERB in St. Gallen (CH)

2021
Das Tanzfest
Offene Kirche, Sankt Gallen (CH)
Premiere done also in live streaming (during the global pandemic)

2018
SAPA Tanz Film Festival
Winterthur (CH)

International dance festival
Almada (PT)

Drum5162, Kulturinitiative zur Auseinandersetzung und Verortung von Gegenwartskultur in Obertrum am See (AT)

Das Tanzfest
Grabenhalle, Sankt Gallen (CH)

2017
Lange Nacht der Bühnen
Lentos Kunstmuseum Linz (AT)

OXYMORON premiere
Tabakfabrik Linz (AT)

FESTIVAL OF NATIONS
international shortfilm festival Lenzig (AT)

Breaking 8_International Dance Film Festival
Cagliari (IT)

2016
Ressegna assoli e duetti e danza in corto
Bartolomei ASD, Teatro villa Pamphilj
Rome (IT)

Tanz_house Festival.16 Under the Skin
Salzburg (AT)

TanzTag.16
Vienna (AT)

FESTIVAL OF NATIONS
international shortfilm festival Lenzig (AT)

2015
ARTEFATTO_10 RESET friends in art
Trieste(IT) Palazzo Gopcevichi
Labin(HR) Gradska Galerija
Pula (HR) Galerija Cvajne
Hallein (AT) Schmiede – Playground of ideas

FRACTIAL IDENTITIES
SELF & IT´S LIQUID international art show
Palazzo ca´zanardi (IT)
Venice art house (IT)

LIQUID ROOMS –the body language
SELF & IT´S LIQUID international art show
Palazzo ca´zanardi (IT)

CULINARY ART GATHERING
Villa Paulick Seewalchen
am Attersee (AT)

PINION & CROWN – Artistic Statement
For us, dance is an essential way to communicate. We feel that through the movement of the body we can express ourselves in ways that would not be possible through words. We can connect with the audience on a different level, transferring ideas, thoughts, opinions or feelings. For us, creativity and dance is more than a desire, it is a concrete need.

The experience of the past,
And the expectations of the future,
Will make the experiment of the present.

Drawing upon these elements, past, present and future, is often our starting point to create material. We are inspired by images and incorporate these into our work in order to evoke and provoke feelings in our audience. During our training we were taught to embody particular aesthetics. Looking back, we moved differently and while this phase was an important base, we realise that there are many other possibilities and we are capable of moving and dancing in many other ways. Also important for us, and at the very core of our work, is being present; present inside a clear structure where we are able to search for situations, and find fractures and connections within society and life that we can react upon and express through dance. Looking to the future we seek out supporting elements such as multi-media, music, visual projections and theatre, and enthusiastically embrace and incorporate these elements into our work to create a richer dance performance.

We like the idea of interaction. A critical part of interplay for us is a communication with the space. Hence, our location plays a fundamental role in the creative process and the performance. We adapt our material to the environment and through this process the abstract dance can transition to become real and relevant. We work with what the environment offers and our characters have to play, communicate and interact with the scene.

Our purpose is not to solve any problems or provide the audience with answers but we do aim to distract, confuse, or make them more open about things. Through our movement we hope to transport the audience and take them on a journey away from their ordinary life. We like to shake them up, make them curious and encourage the audience to ask questions.

The distance between our dreams and reality is called action, and action is key to success. When you are afraid to do something, even if it lives in your mind for a long time, if you don’t actually do it, it will never exist! We believe it is our responsibility to take a risk and create new work. So, inspired by a pinion and crown mechanism, both parts unique in shape, enabling them to fit harmoniously together and coexist by pushing, pulling and supporting each other, we have founded our dance ensemble PINION & CROWN.