Manuela Tessi starts studying contemporary dance with Elena Albano, Enzo Procopio and Davide Montagna and classical ballet at Teatro Carcano, Milano.In 1999 she moves to the Netherlands to study at the Fontys Dansacademie in Tilburg, then she continues and finishes her studies at the Theatreschool in Amsterdam ( Modern Theatre Dance department). She studied further with Katie Duck and Pauline de Groot a.o.
2001-2005 Dances in pieces by Phuong Nguyen, Ingrid Dalmeijer (de Meekers), Valentina Campora, Nicola Hepp, Maria Ines Villasmil, Martine Moulart, Pauline de Groot and Laura Moro.
In 2005 she works with composer Thomas Myrmel and vocalist Anat Spiegel. Together they form the collective Glue and create and present Sea Lawyers and Please come in, Please Wait in the Netherlands at the residency CESTA, in Tabor, CZ.
Her own creations include a dance video Access, Platform, Compartment (2004), There , where some sea birds whose name I didn’t know(2006) a solo that she continues to perform, and Lo Spazio Nudo(2006) a piece that she created for a group of vocalists and dancers. This last work was inspired by a previous research into the relationship between voice and movement, in which the group of vocalists and dancers worked together to find a common language that would fuse movement and voice work. In her movement research she is interested in finding the subtle balance between narrative and abstraction.
In 2006 she starts collaborating with Magpie Music Dance Company, ( since 2007 Magpie Umbrella) an Amsterdam based collective of dancers, musicians and visual artists founded in 1995 and spearheaded by Katie Duck.
In 2008 she collaborates with composer George Cremaschi creating Not [exactly] Here, a piece that investigates in the relationship between live and virtual performance.
2009-2010
Collaborates with Italian dancer and choreographer Laura Moro. Together they create the duo Swamp in B that they present at Dansateliers Rotterdam. Swamp in B will be the study for Due, a developed version of the duo. Further she collaborates with Laura Moro for Art(h)emigra Satellite, a series of performances between the Netherlands and Italy with dance, live music and streaming.
In 2010 she dances in works by Katie Duck, Sylvain Meret, Silvia Bennett, and continues the collaboration with Leyya Tawil, a San Francisco based choreographer, artistic director of Dance Elixir.
She creates 3D, a short trio with music by Alfredo Genovesi.
Since 2006 she is regularly part of Wonderland, an on going project lead by dancer Makiko Ito (member of Magpie). Wonderland is a series of performances aimed towards children and their parents in which children transform from being audience to performers. Further she works for Stichting Memo, performing for very young children (0-7) in creches and primary schools.
Next to her activity of dancer Manuela teaches regularly dance technique and improvisation to children and adults in the Netherlands. She works with the Russian School of Arts, Dansstudio Mieke Roetman a.o.
Next to her activities as dancer choreographer and teacher she is part of a collective that curates the dance programme of the cultural centre Overtoom 301 in Amsterdam.
Her future plans include a collaboration with singer Ayelet Harpaz and composer Henry Vega for a dance theatre piece inspired by the Italian possession cult of Tarantism.
