Muhammed Kaltuk (he/him)
Founder, Artistic Director, Choreographer, Visionary
Choreographer Muhammed Kaltuk had to take some detours before he could finally pursue his passion and live the dream of a professional career in dance. Born and raised in Switzerland in a conservative Turkish family, he first had to complete a medical education after school. Alone and with his crew Special Elements, Kaltuk made a name for himself in the hip-hop scene, participating in major competitions such as the international “World of Dance” competition. At the age of 22, he gained his first production experience at a theater, and fell in love with the place, the opportunities, and the intense and substantive working methods. This led him to begin dance training at the Higher Technical School for Contemporary and Urban Stage Dance in Zurich at the age of 25. Even during his education, it became clear that composing and creating material from the dancers’ repertoire of movements, pushing the dancers beyond their own boundaries, and intertwining it with his own dance material and his aesthetic ideas of dance were his passions, which have now become his signature. Muhi has worked and continues to work at various places, including Theater Basel, Dampfzentrale Bern, Kaserne Basel, Tanzhaus Zürich, Theater Lucerne, Theater St. Gallen, Gauthier Dance Company (COLOURS Festival), Theater der Jungen Welt Leipzig, Theater Plauen/Zwickau, and Breakthrough Festival Zurich.
Annakatharina Chiedza Spörri (she/her)
Artistic Assistance, Dramaturgy
Anna Chiedza was a participant in the international program of Peridance New York, after which she pursued further training in renowned studios in Los Angeles, New York, and London. She teaches at Tanzwerk 101 and the BASE Dance Studio London, among others. Anna dances for commercial providers, as well as for contemporary and hip-hop choreographers in London and Switzerland. She collaborates with Muhammed Kaltuk and, for example, Winston Arnon, Simon Donellon, Nicco Annan, and Rhapsody James. Since the founding of Company MEK, Anna has had an unparalleled sense for Muhis’s choreographies, and she has been closely involved in developing the vision for the company both conceptually and organizationally alongside him.
Gabriel Mareque (he/him)
Musician, Costume designer, dramaturgic assistance
Gabriel Mareque discovered his passion for music production during his dance studies in 2016. Influenced by hip-hop culture, he started as a beatmaker while also exploring music composition for various dance scenarios. Today, he collaborates with different choreographers to create a unique musical signature for each person. His dancer’s sensitivity to music defines his sound aesthetics and shapes his pieces with a wide range of expressions. Mareque’s music has been featured at Theater Luzern in the piece Hemmige by Muhammed Kaltuk, at Theater St. Gallen in Man Up, at the Zurich Opera House in #Peer Gynt, and at Gessnerallee for the piece Tele(your)vision by Sarafina Beck, as well as in several films.
Oriana Zeoli (she/her)
Artistic Director Common Ground – The Battle
Oriana Zeoli, known as Glory, is a Zurich-based Popping dancer and choreographer. With roots in ballet and hip hop, she has focused on street and funk styles since 2016, deepening her practice through international training in Paris, the US, Canada, China, and across Europe.
She has worked with companies such as Rêvolution (FR) and MEK (CH), and has performed at institutions like the Zurich Opera House and Kurtheater Baden. In 2024, she founded in collaboration with Company MEK Common Ground – The Battle, a Swiss streetdance platform, now in its second edition.
Her solo Not Where, but Who — exploring identity and the space between battle culture and contemporary theater — was selected for Tanzfaktor 2024 and further developed through a co-production with Rote Fabrik, premiering at the Yeah Yeah Yeah Festival 2025.
Glory is co-founder of the duo Female Finesse and was the 2024 the face of Red Bull Dance Your Style Switzerland.
Igli Mezini (he/him)
Company Manager & Production Manager (January 2026)
iglimezini@companymek.com
Born in Tirana, Albania, Igli trained at the Albanian National Ballet School before performing as a soloist with leading companies such as the National Theatre of Tirana, Cannes Jeune Ballet, Hessisches Staatsballett, Ballet Preljocaj, Compagnie Linga, and TanzLuzernerTheater.Throughout his career, he has worked with internationally acclaimed choreographers including Jiří Kylián, Frédéric Flamand, Jean-Christophe Maillot, Davide Bombana, Marcos Morau, Angelin Preljocaj, Alexander Ekman, Jérôme Bel, Cayetano Soto, Crystal Pite, Marco Goecke, Marguerite Donlon, Tim Plegge, Wayne McGregor, Hofesh Shechter, Alejandro Cerrudo, Po-Cheng Tsai, Gustavo Ramirez Sansano, Ella Rothschild, Katarzyna Gdaniec, Marco Cantalupo, Mthuthuzeli November, Muhammed Kaltuk, and Tom Weinberger.
Beyond the stage, Igli has appeared in film, including the opening of the Cannes Film Festival with The Great Gatsby and the leading role in The Key, produced for the European Commission. He was also part of the creative team for the inauguration of the Audemars Piguet Museum.
As a teacher, assistant, and rehearsal director, he shares his experience across Europe, South America, Asia, and Australia, continuing to inspire as a performer, mentor, and creative collaborator.Based in Switzerland, Igli holds a Master’s minor in Entrepreneurial Thinking and is currently completing a Master’s minor in Social Media Storytelling as well as a Master’s in Teaching and Coaching Dance Professionals at Zurich University of the Arts.
Fabienne Guldimann (she/her)
Company Manager & Production Manager (until December 2025)
fabienne@companymek.com
The passion for dance has accompanied Fabienne since childhood. Starting with ballet, her interest soon grew to include contemporary dance as well. At the age of 18, she decided to pursue dance training at the Higher Technical School for Contemporary and Urban Stage Dance. Shortly after graduating as a certified stage dancer, Fabienne realized that her true calling lay in planning and organizing behind the scenes. For this reason, she decided to attend the MAS Arts Management program at ZHAW. Fabienne Guldimann wrote her master’s thesis in a completely unfamiliar area to her – gaming. After completing the MAS, she secured an internship at the Zurich Game Festival Ludicious, where she was responsible for communication and marketing. Fabienne Guldimann is now an integral part of the Breakthrough Festival team and has been able to plan, organize, and execute several events in recent years, including her own project.
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