Joy Alpuerto Ritter

Joy Alpuerto Ritter known as Joy was born in 1982 in Los Angeles, CA, USA. She moved to Germany with her mother when she was 4 years old and grew up in Freiburg im Breisgau where she took her first Ballett classes at the Ballettstudio Krain. In these 10 years she was trained in Ballett and Jazz and took part at the RAD (Royal academy of dancing), dance competitions, Ballett Performances and Shows with the philippine and polynesian Culture Dance group that was lead by her mother. At the age of 17 she was accepted at the Palucca Dance School in Dresden, Germany and graduated with a diploma in 2004. After that she started working as a contemporary freelance dancer in and around Berlin with choreographers like: Christoph Winkler, Anja Kozik, Constanza Macras, Wangramirez and Heike Hennig.

During this time she expanded her repertory in Hip Hop/ New Style , Break dance and Voguing and took part in several Dance Battles like Voguing out Berlin, Defipayette, Funkin stylz and Juste Debout. She was also a member of the Hip Hop Girls Crew “Mrs. Kill Bill” in Berlin.

In 2011 she joined Cirque du Soleil as a dancer and aerial artist in the Michael Jackson Immortal World Tour and performed in many cities in USA, Canada and Europe for 2 years.

Since 2013 she has been a dancer of the Akram Khan Dance Company  and the company Wangramirez where she continues her touring life all around the world.

In 2016 she has been nominated as “outstanding female dancer” (modern) in the Performance “Until the Lions” by the National Dance Awards UK. With her own solo work „Babae“, she has found international response as a Choreographer and is one of the Aerowaves artists 2020. Since then Joy has been creating her own work and has been collaborating as a (an associate) choreographer with Akram Khan, Chen Shi-Zheng, Riz Ahmed, Viviana Durante, Florence + the Machine and has been supporting other academic institutions in Austria, Germany, Italy and Beijing.

PROFESSIONAL STAGE EXPERIENCE and CREATIONS IN DANCE THEATRE

2022
Performance as a dancer in “Les Gayrillères” by Boudry Lorenz in Arsenic Lausanne, De Singel in Antwerp
Creation as a choreographer of “V-I-E-R” produced by Pottporus Theatre and Silk Fluegge Company
Creation of “Man or God” as a choreographer and creative Co-director, directed by Mavin Khoo, Preview in London UK
Creation work in progress “Passage 4.7” as a choreographer and director in collaboration with Music composer Lih Qun Wong and visual artist Lucian Patermann

2021
Concept & Choreography in collaboration with Lukas Steltner of the participatory Moving the forum Project “If I ruled the world – Zeichen der Zeit” with young dancers with urban and contemporary dance background
Dance & movement creation for scenes in the feature Film „The Silence of Mercy“ directed by Floria Sigismondi
Creation of “The Fall” in choreographic Collaboration with Hannes Langolf ( DV8, Akram Khan Company) supported by Orsolina28
Co-choreographer of the work “Opferschicht” by Kadir Memis ‘Amigo’ produced by Hebbel am Ufer Berlin
Creation of “Shikhandi” with Students of the Malta University, umbrellad and inspired by Akram Khan’s company work “Until the Lions”

2020
Dancer in the Opera Production Dijon IL PALAZZO INCANTATO by Fabrice Murgia
Choreographer & Dance Collaboration with Lukas Steltner in the interactive LIVE online Performance rOOms
Dancer in Installation Film Project “(No) Time” by Pauline Bouldry/Renate Lorenz
Aerowaves artist 2020 with Solo Work BABAE
Choreographer of the Show by Riz Ahmed at the MIF- Manchester International Festival
Choreographer & Dancer in UNDA – part of a triple Bill ISADORA NOW produced by the Viviana Durante Company presented in the Barbican London

2019
Collaboration Choreography with Lukas Steltner at Theater der jungen Welt Leipzig with the performance TEENAGE WIDERSTAND
Associate Choreographer for the Kung Fu Musical directed by Chen Shi-Zheng in the Shed New York with the Show DRAGON PHOENIX RISE
Choreographic Collaboration with indonesian film director Garin Nugroho in the Performance A PLANET- LAMENT
Choreography & Dance collaboration with Lukas Steltner in the Performance HEIMKEHR
Choreography creation of the piece ANGIBA for 3rd defining year at SEAD- Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dancing
Choreography creation of the piece HEXEN for DAF- Dance Arts Faculty Students in Rome
Choreography creation for the piece CUMULUS at Beijing Dance academy for the UK arts cross exchange

2018
Solo Performance & Creation of ALTER EGOS from and with Joy Alpuerto Ritter

2016
Solo Performance & Creation of BABAE from and with Joy Alpuerto Ritter

since 2013 till now
Dancer/rehearsal director of the Akram Khan Company in the Perormances  iTMOi, UNTIL THE LIONS, KAASH

since 2015 till now
Dancer in the Company WangRamirez in the Performances BODERLINE, EVERYNESS

2011- 2012
Dancer & Aerial Artist in the MICHAEL JACKSON IMMORTAL WORLD TOUR by Cirque du Soleil

since 2015 till now
Dancer in the Show BEETHOVEN -THE NEXT LEVEL! directed by Christoph Hagel and Khaled Chaabi

2009
Dancer in the Piece … AND WHAT HAPPENS AFTER?! by Denis (Koone) Kuhnert
Dancer in the site specific performance AUTO FICTION directed by Milan Gervais HUMAN PLAYGROUND sponsored by the Goethe Institut Montreal

2004- 2010
Dancer in the Performances SEXUALITÄT UND WAHRHEIT, WHO BY FIRE, ROUTINES, TALES OF THE FUNKY, TASTE OF RA, SAAL A, TAKING STEPS by Christoph Winkler

2007- 2010
Dancer in the Performances ZEITSPRÜNGE, ALCINA, MERULA GLASS (Opening of the Neue Museum Berlin), RITUALE, MARIA XXX by Heike Hennig

2004- 2010
Dancer in the Performances OXYMORON, EINSTURZGEFAHR, I WANT TO BELIEVE, REVOLTE, TANZ MIT MIR (a Co-Production with the Hans Otto Theater Potsdam) of the Oxymoron Dance Company directed by Anja Kozik

COMMERCIAL WORK EXCERPTS
Dancer and assistant choreographer of Akram Khan in the music video BIG GOD by Florence + the Machine
Dancer in the music video JE NE PARLE PAS FRANCAIS by NAMIKA choreographed by Wangramirez
Dancer in the TV Show GOOD MORNING AMERICA and DANCING WITH THE STARS USA as part of the Cirque du Soleil MJIWT
Dancer  in the TV Show DANCING WITH THE STARS GERMANY
Guest Apearance in LOLLIPOP MONSTER a german movie by Ziska Riemann
Dancer at the EURO VISION SONG CONTEST with guest artist Jan Delay
Stunt woman in the movie HANSL AND GRETL – THE WITCH HUNTERS directed by Tommy Wirkola
Dancer in several show and video formats for CEBIT Germany, IFA Germany, BREITLING, LANGE SÖHNE