Marlena Niestrój
Marlena Niestrój is a physical theater actress, dancer, art historian, yogi, and hypnotherapist. She is committed to the pursuit of freedom through movement, introspection, and performance and to supporting others in their journey toward inner freedom and peace.
Marlena is the founder of the Paris Foundation. Since 2008 the Foundation has executed a number of interdisciplinary projects, including 6 editions of the Metavera Art Festival and an exhibition of Polish art in Berlin in 2011, supported by the European Parliament under the Polish Presidency of the EU.
Marlena graduated from Art & Communication (Theatre, Dance and Performance) program at the Université Jean-Jaurès in Toulouse, France. She also holds a degree in: History of Art and Media Culture, with a specialization in Cultural Performances, from the Silesian University in Katowice, Poland. She studied Yoga in Prevention and Therapy at the Upper Silesian University of Entrepreneurship in Chorzów, Poland.
As a director and choreographer, Marlena has co-created and performed a number of solo shows at the Teatr A Part in Katowice ("Bonds", "Rite of Spring"). She is also the creator and sole performer in the visual-dance show "Moth's Song", which she premiered in 2022 as part of the VI Metavera Art Festival.
Marlena works as a yoga instructor and hypnotherapist. She is particularly committed to using these mediums to support women. She has implemented a number of related workshops aimed at helping women overcome social, physical, and cultural challenges.
As someone whose interests are constantly developing, Marlena is committed to ongoing learning. She frequently participates in workshops and trainings related to body work including dance, breath, and voice.
In 2023, implementing the artistic project of building the Art Center in Żarki, she joined the team of 1,000 entrepreneurs, women qualified to spend a month in Spain in the Break Fellowship program (funded by the European Union) in order to develop their entrepreneurial and strategic skills.
ART | YOGA | DANCE | HYPNOSIS
WORKSHOPS
In every aspect of my life, I was looking for the most authentic version of myself. My curiosity was not satisfied with the conventional path and solutions. Life for me is the art of asking the right questions that open the mind and lead it to obvious and simple answers. I am convinced that life is simple in its essence. We only have been taught to drown out this truth by all means.
YOGA
I invite you on a journey to yourself, in harmony with yourself and your own sensitivity. If you want to practice together with me, write to me. I do workshops and individual classes, in person in Katowice and online.
Performance
My first completely original performance is the``Moth's Song`` - a very personal story told with a visual and dance solo. It is also a story about human nature, which allows take over by itself which consequently attracts the divine element, which is the source of any creation as well as destruction.
I invite you to know more about my realizations.
PERFORMING | VISUAL | VIDEO | CURATORIAL ARTS
As someone in the process of constant change and evolution, I find it difficult to define myself in a few words. But one word that comes to mind is freedom.
My first experiences with freedom were through dance. In life, I was not satisfied with conventional paths or solutions. Dance helped me take the first steps toward freeing myself from the personal, social, and cultural shackles that tethered me. It helped me realise that, although I was great at dealing with the many difficult situations that life threw my way, I lacked inner strength. While I offered understanding and kindness to everyone around me, I had muted my gentleness toward myself. However, I came to see that every bump in the road led me closer to myself.
Along the way, I learned a lot of interesting methods to help myself, such as: acting improvisation, intuitive dance, conscious breathing, yoga, relaxation, working with the subconscious mind and mindfulness, as well as sculpting in clay and many more. In art, I find solace for the desire for contact with beauty, as well as manifestation and release of what is hidden in everyday life. In yoga, I find the rhythm of my heartbeat as well as silence, which helps me in returning to the natural feeling of myself.
Today I can be strong in my softness and authenticity. I have chosen to be my true self and can look at myself with tenderness. I have discovered what true freedom is, the inner, intimate, silent and unlimited one. Now, I want to give back and to help others regain inner freedom and peace. I have composed a program based on my experience and the methods that have worked for me in seeking happiness and fulfilment. In my online and in-person workshops, I combine my expertise in performance with my experience with dance, yoga, and life. I invite you into my world, to learn my unique approach to making life lighter, freer and more authentic.
I invite you into my world, to learn my unique approach to making life lighter, freer and more authentic.
English 
Polish