Vanessa Joan Müller is an art historian, writer, and curator. She lives in Vienna.

Think of ballet: fairy-like creatures in white tutus, floating movements, en pointe, elegant choreographies with effortless-looking poses resulting from years of drills and discipline. All this is deconstructed in Florentina Holzinger’s performances. Subverting ballet’s obsession with total control, the Austrian choreographer favours forms of body discipline that originate in martial arts, extreme gymnastics, and circus acts, which she uses to create a kind of dance that is brutal, provocative, and thrilling.