Wojciech Mochniej
Born and raised in Lublin, Poland, Mochniej began his career as a street dancer. At a local ‘culture house’ he discovered contemporary dance with teacher Renata Pyszniak and a new passion was born. He was an original member of Silesian Dance Theatre Poland, where he danced from 1991-1994, and where he met Monteros. Together they launched W&M Physical Theatre in 1994. Mochniej has performed in the works of many prominent artists, including: Anna Sokolow, Talley Beatty, Mark Haim, Stephanie Skura. Risa Jaraslow, (New York), Alpo Aaltokoski (Finland), and Avi Kaiser (Belgium/ Israel). As an improviser he has studied with Chris Aiken and David Dorfman and performed with Ray Chung and Milan Kozanek. His work in theatre includes study with Polish actors Jan Peszek, Grzegosz Bral and Jacek Ozimek. Mochniej has received awards from both Gadansk and Lublin for his contributions to dance in Poland. He was the founder of Dance Explosions, Poland, and he has been involved in the Zawirowanie Festival in Warsaw since its inception in 2005. Mochniej has been a Guest Artist at the University of Calgary since 1995. He was invited to choreograph for the Polish TV version of “So You Think You Can Dance”. His solo and group work is highly sought after and has been presented internationally.
