Team | inkorpora

Silvia Vergés

Teacher & Choreographer

Nina Pastel

Teacher &

Workshops assistant

After graduating in ballet from the Institut del Teatre in Barcelona, Spain, Silvia worked as a dancer in Ballet de Euskadi, the National Opera in Mexico and the National Theatre Mannheim, Germany. She then moved to the UK to study at the London Contemporary Dance School and completed an MA in choreography. She is currently based in Helsinki. She has taught in dance institutes and centres and for professional dancers and has also performed and choreographed in many independent projects. Silvia founded Inkorpora Dance Project in 2013.

Silvia has also trained intensively some Somatic Techniques such as Pilates and Feldenkrais and practiced folk and social dances including bolera, classical Spanish, couple dances from Brazil and Swing Styles. Silvia also studied music theory at Conservatori de Musica del Liceu in Barcelona. https://silviaverges.wixsite.com/balletinperspective

Nina studied at the Finnish National Opera Ballet School and at Balettakademien Stockholm. Nina has worked at Finnish National Opera, Östgötabaletten, Sweden, StepUp Dancers, Finland, Extended Dance Company, New York USA and various TV shows, musicals and showcases all over the world. In New York, Nina trained Simonsson Jazz technique at Dance Space. She then moved to Martinique a French Caribbean Island where she opened her own dance school and was the choreographer of a reality TV show.

Back in Finland, Nina got certified as a pilates instructor at Somatic Studio, where she now teaches. She has also taught jazz dance in most dance schools in Helsinki and is excited to be back at the Opera Ballet School as a jazz teacher. Nina joined Inkorpora Project in 2021 and she feels very grateful for being part of the team and the choreographic productions. There might be a few more dances still inside her.

Maria Gat`sal

Teacher &

Workshops assistant

Maria is a Mexican dancer and actor with performing experience on stage in both fields. After graduating in acting from the New York Film Academy in Los Angeles Maria embarked in an odyssey to discover new places living and working in Spain, The Netherlands and Germany. Her dance and movement language is a fusion of various styles of contemporary dance as well as taking influence from Lyrical, Modern Jazz and Latin dance styles.

Maria is currently based in Helsinki mainly teaching dance and acting. She joined the Inkorpora Dance Project team in Autumn 2023 to teach contemporary dance and improvisation. Maria also performed in the Inkorpora 10th anniversary production Dance for Two as well as collaborated in the work in progress demonstration of Offbeat, a new upcoming work.

Guest Teachers

Alla Marasanova (Ballet teacher at Master classes weekend, Autumn 2024) was a member of Mariinsky Theatre's ballet company and has also performed in some of the main theatres of Russia, Europe and the USA. Her teaching experience highlights consist of holding classes at the Bolshoi Ballet academy, choreographing for the rhythmic gymnastics team of the olimpic reserve a well as in programs for disabled children.

Francesca Loi (Ballet teacher at Master classes weekend, Autumn 2024) is working at Finnish National Ballet. She graduated from la Scala di Milano ballet School in 2012 and has danced in various companies such as Opera di Roma, Opera National de Bordeaux, Royal Ballet of Flanders among others. Francesca has performed soloist roles in Makarova's Bayadere, Balanchine's Who Cares, Harvey's Sleeping Beauty, to mention a few, and other repertoire pieces from prestigious choreographers.

Lyylia Koivuniemi (Ballet teacher at II Summer intensive course 2023) is a freelance ballerina with work experience in the Danish and Finnish fields of dance performing also in competitions and tours in Europe and Asia. Lyylia also runs her own project Casualbutpro and has been a guest dancer in several performances with Inkorpora Dance Project.

Synne-Kristin Ytredal (Choreography workshop assistant Spring 2022) graduated from the Faculty of Performing Arts at the University of Stavanger. She did exchange studies at Taideakatemia Turun AMK and was a trainee with Pori Dance Company. She is currently working in Helsinki as a freelance dance artist and teacher.

Maria Beseghi (Ballet and Pilates teacher at weekend intensive course 2021) is a ballet teacher, Pilates instructor and former ballet dancer. She joined Suomen Kansllisbaletti in 2010. She then worked in various countries in Europe returning to Finland where she worked a few more years in the Finnish National Ballet before making her transition to teaching. Her curiosity to understand better the mechanics of movement and the human body brought her to do the Pilates instructor certification at somatic studio in Helsinki.

Laura Kaljunen (Ballet repertoire teacher at summer intensive course 2021) graduated from the Royal Swedish Ballet School. She then joined Kayzer Ballet junior company in Portugal. From 2019 Laura has been dancing as a freelancer in Helsinki, for example with Helsinki Dance Theatre, Inkorpora Project and Kielo Dance Company. Laura has also participated in several international ballet courses such as the Royal Danish Ballet and Paris Opera Ballet Summer courses among others.

Nadja Pärssinen (Teacher & choreographer at contemporary dance & choreography course, 2017) graduated from the dance programme of North Karelia Municipal Education and Training Consortium. Nadja has participated in various projects as a coreographer and dancer. She is also a member of the Improvisation Group LIHAA TILASSA in Helsinki and teaches in lively CI/contemporary dance workshops around Finland.

Sonja Alitalo (Teacher at a ballet course, 2016) graduated from The Conservatory of Turku and later with a Master of Arts from The Theatre Academy of Helsinki. She has danced in Estonian National Ballet and with the Finnish National Ballet. Sonja has been a guest teacher in various schools in Finland and abroad. Sonja lives in Germany and has been teaching in Aki Kato Tanzforum in Mannheim and Nostos Tanztheatre in Heidelberg.

Reija Heinonen (Teacher at ballet courses, 2015 & 2016) graduated from the Finnish National opera ballet school in 2008. Since then she has been working in several companies and projects in both Finland and abroad. Her latest engagements were with ITDansa (Barcelona), Danish dance theatre (Copenhagen) and Staatstheater Tanz Braunschweig under the direction of Jan Pusch (Germany).

*Check also our Artistic Works section to see our guest performers and collaborators at our productions

Dance has been a part of Krista's life longer than she can remember. During the last few years she has been able to participate in many interesting projects with many different dance styles. Krista has been performing in several productions of Sammatti Dance by Helsingin Tanssiopisto and of Inkorpora Project. Some of the productions in which she has participated include The Bayadere and Don Quijote in Sammatti and The Chamber Nutcracker, Passages & Waltzes and Brief Dances in Inkorpora Dance Project.

Krista has also been a member of the board of Helsinki Dance Theatre, led by Val Suarez, since 2018. As a daytime job she teaches modern languages in Mattilden upper secondary school. Krista was invited to join Inkorpora Project team in 2020 due to her efficiency in earlier events not only when performing but also in rehearsals and behind the scenes.

Krista Kaipainen

Workshops assistant