Stella Samartzi

There is something like a simple, comforting daily promise about the practice of yoga, it feels like coming home to yourself, hence opening to the others. Invited to yoga by a soulmate, Sandra realised how the experience of yoga was  changing her life, as subtly, as deeply and decided to take the path of transmitting  this ancient transformative practice. Under the guidance of Kia Naddermier, she deepened her practice as a student,  became an apprentice and started to teach, adjusting at best her activities of visual  artist and her life as a mom and a nomad. Certified as a Yoga Siromani at Meenakshi Sivananda Yoga School in South India  she also took Lizzie Lasater’s Restorative yoga training. Co-founder with Yotam Agam of DoGood, a pluridisciplinary entity creating image,  sound, and events, she participates regularly in retreats and yoga festivals in India,  Israel and China. Her classes offer moments of meditation, dynamic hatha variations plunging their  roots in a soft ashtanga, with a very smooth relaxation. Once the sweat has dried,  there will remain softness and ease.

Miltos Pistof was born in Athens. He studied Sociology at Panteion University while also completing his musical studies in Apollonio Conservatory. After a search period music became his passion and he involved in teaching in which he has been active for 20 years. He early realized the value of alternative teaching, as need for modern education and having apprenticed and worked with renowned musicians / educators (Keith Terry, Victor Wooten, Tony Moreno, Sandy Silva) he gained a lot of experience in creative learning focusing on the body percussion. He is a music teacher in Doukas School and prepares selected students for their music studies both in Greece and abroad. The last decade he is an active alternative educator as well as a team building facilitator in the corporate environment. The result of this search is the creation of Spirit Of Rhythm, a music-motion game that combines music and rhythm with psychology and addressed to younger and older audience.

Danai Nielsen is a solo dream-pop, synth-based composer and singer, who uses voice FX to create musical dialogues between her male and her female alter ego persona by using synths, loops and samples while most of the times she creates her unique costumes for each of her performances. Since 2004 she’s been active, as main member of the Greek band Rosebleed, who signed a contract with Sony Music (2007) and has shared the stage with several know artists such as Santana, Hooverphonic, Cranberries etc. In 2014 she becomes the lead singer of the band Than.Eye, which was based in Germany and released their first EP in 2016. Meanwhile she collaborates with JIM Bespoke (Ninja Tunes) as a vocalist for synch music and participates as a musician in several art performances. Since the beginning of 2019 she is performing solo and has completed a tour across Europe by performing at festivals such as Taste the Music, Fifty Lab & Reeperbahn (Athens, Belgium, Hamburg). Danai released her first personal album titled “Who are They” on October 2021. She is going to be at the upcoming Eject Festival, the greek supporting act for the Muse band.

Alexandra Sieti is a soul, jazz, R’n’B and funk singer born and raised in Thessaloniki, Greece in 1994. Her involvement in music, dance and theatre has begun from a very young age. In 2007 she started studying music theory, harmony and piano in “The Music College of Thessaloniki”, while taking part in various musicals such as “Grease”(2009), “Camelot”(2010) and “Anything Goes”(2011). In 2011 she commenced her studies in Jazz singing and improvisation in the “Contemporary Conservatorium of Thessaloniki” with Vicky Almazidou as her teacher. In 2014-2016 she attends Jazz Masterclasses at the New Bulgarian University of Sofia(Bulgaria) with world class musicians such as the legendary Billy Cobham(Grammy nominated), Milcho Leviev(Grammy awarded), David Murray, Craig Bailey and Marc Halbeer, receiving an honorary distinction for three consecutive years. She also attended vocal improvisation seminars with be-pop pioneer Sheila Jordan(2014) and Grammy nominated Thana Alexa(2019). In 2016 she gets into the studio for the first time with established trumpeter George Avramides for his album “Voyager”, which led to an ongoing collaboration for two more albums and various singles such as “Blind Week” and “Phoenix”(2021). She is also featured in Cayetano’s “Melanie” album, with the track “My Job Is Done”(2018). Meanwhile, she performs in Jazz Festivals touring Greece with established jazz musicians such as Dimitris Angelakis(Berklee College), Nick Vargiamidis(Berklee College), Tasos Korkovelos(Berklee College) and many others. In 2018 she enrolls in soul band “Souled Out”, with whom she tours in Greece and makes a few gigs abroad, until today. In 2021 they release singles “Let me in your heart” and “Madness”, receiving thriving critiques. In 2022 their third single “Love School” is released, as well as their debut album “Sunny Side Up”, being characterized as the most soulful Greek album, involving soul, funk and neo-soul original tunes. In 2019 she starts collaborating with legendary Greek songwriter Dionyssis Savvopoulos in music performance “Tribute to Woodstock”, along with established musicians Stavros Lantsias, Yiotis Kiourtsoglou and Sakis Dovolis, singing all time classic blues and rock songs performed in Woodstock Festival. The Tribute premieres for the first time in Sani Festival(June 2019), and continues for a full sold out season at “Alsos Theatre” with weekly performances. In 2020 they perform in “Athens Music Hall” and television program “Home with Mega Channel”. In 2021 she takes part in television show “The Voice of Greece”, winning the second place, with purely soul, blues and rock repertoire. She also performed “Let me in your heart” with Souled Out at TV show “Radio Arvyla”(2021). In 2022 she was invited to perform in TV music show “Music Box”, Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep”, Nina Simone’s “Feeling Good” and Black Pumas’ “Colors”. In 2022 she moves to Athens and performs with established songwriter Phoevos Delivorias, along with George Avramides in the context of concerts of Municipality of South Macedonia, while continuing touring with her band Souled Out.

He was born in Crete in 1970. He lives and works in ATHENS. He studied painting at the Athens School of Fine Arts (1990-1996). In 1998 he was awarded the 1st prize of the Yiannis and Zoe Spyropoulou Foundation. In 1999 he participated in the Biennale of young artists of European Mediterranean countries. In 2001 he represented Greece at the 49th Biennale of Venice. In 2001, the Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art organized a retrospective exhibition of his works from the period 1998-2001. In 2009, the Hellenic Foundation for Culture in Berlin organized an exhibition of his works belonging to German collections. In 2013, he was nominated for the DESTE Prize. In 2017 he participated in documenta 14. In 2018 he participated in the 6th Athens Biennale. In 2020, the Athens Municipal Art Gallery hosted its exhibition: "The Theoretical Objects: Works 2017-2020". In 2021 in collaboration with the Municipality of Athens and the Onassis Foundation, he painted the mural entitled “The Kiss” in Avdi Square. He has written introductory and critical notes for solo and group exhibitions and has curated individual and group presentations by artists. He has lectured on his work and participated in public discussions on the issues of contemporary art. He has presented his work in 27 solo exhibitions in Greece and abroad as well as in more than 100 group exhibitions. He taught in the Architecture Department of the University of Patras as a lecturer for 13 semesters from 2009 to 2019. His works are found in public and private collections in Greece and abroad. Public collections selection: EMST collection, MOMus collection, Bank of Greece collection, ALPHA BANK collection, Onassis Foundation collection, Fondazione Morra Greco(Italy), Hamburger Bahnhof - Museum für Gegenwart – Berlin (Germany), Kunst Sammlungen Chemnitz (Germany).

iGEM Athens 2022 is an interdisciplinary team of university students as well as young scientists and engineers who are passionate about Synthetic Biology. “What is Synthetic Biology”, you may ask. Synthetic Biology comprises a newly emerged scientific field that combines basic research with applied science by coupling the methods and background of Molecular Biology with the principles of Engineering. The union of these two disciplines aims at creating new biological systems or at redesigning and repurposing the already existing ones as a way to resolve contemporary problems concerning public health, environmental crises, and issues relating to many other sectors. After four years of achievements and distinctions accomplished by the previous iGEM Athens teams, as this year’s team, they also aspire to conceive, design, and realize a Synthetic Biology research project that will be presented at the iGEM International Synthetic Biology Competition, while bringing Synthetic Biology closer to the general public!