Artist in Residence

Irèni is currently in an Artist Residency with Public Energy Performing Arts in Peterborough, Nogogiwanong," place at the foot of the rapids,"  a unique historical centre in Ontario, Canada. 

Exploring site-specific work in a series of solo vignettes: Bone Stories Reimagined explores multiculturalism, violence against women, and restoring our connection to the earth. 

Irèni Stamou is an award-winning Canadian choreographer and dancer with critically acclaimed choreography. She is known for interweaving contemporary and multicultural dance forms and is recognized internationally as a profoundly imaginative and poetic dance artist.

Born in Athens, Greece, Irèni's family moved to Canada when she was five years old. She grew up in a traditional Greek upbringing within Montreal's multicultural center, a melting pot of arts, culture, and languages. A graduate of Fine Arts from Concordia University, Montreal, majoring in Contemporary Dance under Elizabeth Langley's direction.  Irèni founded her Montreal-based dance company Métaspora Danse and for two decades toured Canada, Europe with New York and Costa Rica performances.  She has received commissions for original choreography from Echine Do, Montréal, Les Jeunes Ballet du Québec, Festival du Monde Arabe, L' Ecole de danse du Québec, and  Danse en Kortright, Belgium.

 "Because her work delves into the human heart, exploring with intensity its sensory and emotional zones while presenting an aesthetic that is at once original and finely wrought, The fine mélange of truly contemporary language and gestures drawn from the treasure-house of traditional Greek dances give each one of her choreographies a unique character."  André Martin, Le Devoir, Montreal, Québec

Irèni Stamou is a recipient of The Canada Council for the Arts, Conseil des Arts et des Lettres du Québec, Conseil des Arts de Montréal, and Multiculturalism Canada. 

Irèni has taught somatic workshops at The University of Costa Rica and won a Choreographers award for Mia Zoi (One life) for national dancer Daniel Marenko 2008 at Festival de Coreógrafos XX1V.  

Her dance work ventured to Granada, Nicaragua, where she performed and taught workshops at La Casa de Tres Mundos for homeless children. In 2017 she choreographed The ancient Greek play La Orestíada by Aeschylus, adapted in Spanish by director Luis Fernando Gómez, National Theatre of Costa Rica.

In 2018, Irèni relocated with her family to Peterborough, Nogojiwanong, Ontario. She founded Irèni Movement Arts integrating the healing arts with dance artistry.  Presently, Irèni Stamou is  Artist in Residence with Public Energy Performing Arts.

She presented her site-specific choreography Inside the Sculpture in The Pivot Series October 2020, a Public Energy Performing Arts and Reframe Film Festival Production. Recently she received a grant from Electric City Council to create a short film of her choreography, Bone Stories Reimagined.  She is exploring her passion for writing and was offered a scholarship to work on her memoir from Alison Wearing, Memoir Writing Ink.