Ines Somellera

Born in Mexico in a family environment of photographers and designers. While completing her studies in Communication Sciences at ITESSO University, she actively took part in the theater scene. In 1993, she moved to Mexico City to drama school, and shortly joined the artistic team at Festival del Centro Historico, where she was in charge of local and International theater productions.

Since 1995 Ines has produced progressive international collaborations for dance and theater. As an independent producer she is involved in all aspects of a production: selecting the artists, process of design and composition, direction and performing. Her first work as an independent producer was Mary Stewart by F. Schielle, in Mexico City 1995 for which she earned a nomination for best actress. From 1997 to 2002, Ines was invited to attend the Watermill Arts Center summer programs, established by internationally acclaimed theater visionary Robert Wilson. Ines performed in a variety of Wilson’s great works, including 70 Angels on the Façade, Milano 1998; Death, Destruction and Detroit III, Lincoln Center New York 1999 followed by an international tour; Persephone, Festival International Cervantino 2000, Anna’s Room, a solo performance installation during the “Salone del mobile in Milano 2001, Italy; Prometheus, Megaron Musikis in Athens 2001.

Other international collaborations include New York based dance theater companies: Magnetic Laboratorium’s Essex Street Performance with Merce Cunningham’s dancers, Wax Factory’s Lady from the Sea at the Brooklyn Can Factory, and The South Wing production of Yukio Mishima’s Hanjo where Ines played the leading role. Rehearsals training method include: Vigorous Hatha Yoga breathing and Asana practices, Meditation, Tadashi Suzuki Japanese Training, Viewpoints from Ann Bogart as well as other techniques based on the method of Eugenio Barba.

Since 2003 Ines has traveled to various parts of Indonesia, in search of traditional culture expression and form. From the explosive-expressive Balinese ritual ceremonies, hypnotic Javanese dance, religious Acehnese Saman dance, to the enigmatic and dynamic West Sumatra martial art of pencak silat. Indonsia’s projects includes; 7th Women Playwrights International Conference program manager and steering committee member in 2006, ‘Hari Ini’ a dance performance choreographed by Hartati with music composed by Marc Apart from Belgium. And on going projects.

The tsunami that devastated Aceh on December 26, 2004, had a deep impact on Ines. And she completed a documentary film entitled Takdir (or the Will of God), which she screened in a variety of forums in Mexico as a part of fund raising campaign.