stephanie zaletel (they/she) is a choreographer, dance artist, movement facilitator, dream-tender, environmentalist, plant-based eater and cook, and mental health advocate currently based on the West Coast of the US.

stephanie’s twenties were threaded together with persistent and prolific art making practices inspired by their quest to access and create dance in trauma-aware, consciously-feminist led spaces - and in 2015 they founded szalt, a dance company to deepen this learning and expression.

Through szalt stephanie integrated choreography, music/sound design, textile/fiber arts, film, poetry, neighborhood engagement, and astronomy into their highly collaborative performance-based offerings. Within 5 years, szalt’s performances, classes, and workshops traveled through 8 states, reached thousands of audience members and movers, and connected them with lifelong friends, colleagues, collaborators, and partnerships.

In addition to their work with szalt, stephanie has created works for musical artists, films, dance, opera, and theater companies nationally and internationally including collaborations with clipping., C. Prinz, Los Angeles Contemporary Dance Company, Beth Morrison Projects, and Lars Jan's Early Morning Opera.

stephanie also enjoys dancing and performing in the works of others and has most recently danced in projects for Rosanna Gamson | World Wide and Lindsey Red-Tail.

In 2022 stephanie was a guest artist at California Institute of the Arts and Peabody Conservatory at Johns Hopkins University as well as an Artist in Residence at Loghaven in Knoxville, TN.

stephanie recently completed the Certificate in Somatic Psychotherapy and Practices Program at Antioch University to deepen their understanding of how trauma lives in and moves out of the body and how this relates to their work in the Dance field and community spaces moving forward.