Melody Shantala Sacco

I am an artist, dancer, teacher, somatic movement educator and body-work practitioner. I am dedicated to sparking others into the joy of movement and interested in exploring the wisdom and possibilities of the body,

Having graduated high school with a visual arts specialisation (1996), I begin training as an architect in 1997. In 1999 I changed my focus to dance which had already been a driving force since an early age. I graduated, in 2003 from the Theatre-Academy Paolo Grassi in Milan, Italy with a BA in Dance-Theatre. I also hold a postgraduate certificate in Community Dance (2009) from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, London UK.

I am a certified Somatic Movement Educator (SME, 2016) and BMC® Practitioner (2023) by the School of Body-Mind Centering® through Embody Move UK. These explorations in body and mind blended together with my investigation into the power of touch and its healing potential. I have studied and practised in depth Thai-Yoga Massage (2014) and Lomi-Lomi Massage (2021).

Other disciplines and studies that have been deeply informed my work include Contact Improvisation, Action Theatre, Dance Therapy, meditation & embodied spiritual practice.

In the last 18 years, I worked as a dance and somatic movement teacher in England, Italy, Austria and Spain.I have been guiding people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds through creative dance, anatomical exploration, body and awareness movement training and self-expression. I have freelanced for several dance companies and organisations (Laban, Green Candle, Chisenahale dance, Greenwich dance, Danceability, Rollingpoint and more) working in different educational settings as well as offering my own workshops and classes.

The experience of pregnancy and becoming a mother in 2013 has enriched my approach to dance and teaching. It sparked my wish to support and empower other women to nourish a deeper connection with their bodies during pregnancy and motherhood.

In 2014 I found and co-created the Living Arts Base community project in Spain, together with a group of international artists. The project besides being a space to live and co-create, merged together with my innermost values and interests: creating a research base in which to explore and promote creative expression, movement and self-awareness through the lens of somatics as a work for social and environmental justice.  

Alongside teaching, I continue to dance and perform. My experience includes mainly improvised solo and group performances which are informed by site-specific nature exploration, somatic movement and human connection.

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