Biography and Ethos
Stephanie holds a BFA and an MFA from California Institute of the Arts where they studied Choreography, Dance Performance, Arts Pedagogy, and Ecological Practice and a Certificate in Somatic Practices from Antioch University.
Stephanie Zaletel (they/she) is a choreographer, dance artist, trauma-informed facilitator, movement coach, and mental health advocate based in Los Angeles, CA whose work centers empathy building and embodied empowerment.
Stephanie’s early career was threaded together with persistent and prolific art making practices inspired by their quest to access and create dance in trauma-aware, consciously-feminist led spaces - and in 2015 they founded szalt, a project driven dance company to deepen this learning and expression.
Through szalt Stephanie integrated choreography, music and sound design, textiles and fiber arts, film, poetry, neighborhood engagement, and astronomy into their highly collaborative performance-based offerings. In under a decade, szalt’s performances, classes, and workshops traveled through the U.S., reached thousands of audience members and movers, and connected them with lifelong friends, colleagues, collaborators, and partnerships.
Stephanie loves to dance and create works for musical artists, films, dance, opera, and theater companies with collaborations spanning nationally and internationally and offers movement consultations for actors and performers for film and stage.
Stephanie is the Director of Programming and Artist Relations for WIP, a monthly work in progress series co-founded with Kate Wallich.
Following the revelatory experience of caregiving for their grandmother in her last year earth-side, stephanie founded I CARE ABOUT YOUR BODY in her honor in 2023. This offering culminates in quarterly workshops, somatic 1:1s, immersive retreats, and a methodology for trauma informed caregiving practices.
Stephanie loves to reset their nervous system near bodies of water, bouldering with their beloved in the mountains, cuddling with their dogs, reading, and cooking.