Michelle Horacek was born in Nova Scotia, Canada. Her family is from Prague, Czech Republic. After completing a degree in English Literature and Theatre Studies at the University of King’s College, Halifax, she trained as a classical actress at The National Theatre School of Canada in Montréal, and DAMU National Theatre School in Prague. Between 1994-2004 Misha worked extensively in the field of devised theatre in Halifax, Toronto, Prague and New York. From 1992-1999 Misha engaged in making and performing a repertoire of devised works with Milkman Theatre Group. In 2000 she began to work with digital video. Her video work is distributed through V-Tape in Toronto.

In 2006 Misha completed her MA in Visual Performance at Dartington College of Arts in Devon, England; and she was based in London until 2012. Between 2006-2012 she explored durational performance and site-specific performance as ways for focusing attention on the body in its relation to time and place. Misha is interested in ritual action, the cycles and tides of nature, and the relationship of body to environment. In her current practice she employs non-stylized dance and somatic practice to inspire and develop the relationship between body and land / site – and she continues to investigate how duration and repetition together may illuminate mythologies of the deep body. Misha’s performance work is archived in the library at Live Art Development Agency in London, and Black Kit Performance Archive in Cologne.

In 2012-2013 Misha trained in the Life/Art Process at Tamalpa Institute in California. The Life-Art Process, is an integrated approach that explores the wisdom of the body expressed through movement/dance and imagination. It uses artistic processes and media to explore and deepen the relationship to psychological life, to social issues, and to creativity itself.

Misha leads workshops in Body Mythology and Body & Land, and she coaches solo artists and companies in artistic process and leadership. As a choreographer Misha leads Planetary Dance in London (a dance for peace founded by Anna Halprin 1980). Since 2015, Misha is experimenting with hybrid performance – a synthesis of movement, installation, sound and film.

Misha is based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She moves between Canada, the UK and Europe.

Artist Code: 702