Aris Golemi

Aris Golemi is a native of Albania. He was born in the beautiful city of Vlora, which is located in southwestern Albania, on the coast of Adriatic and Jonian Sea. Aris started the Elementary School when he was seven years old, and at once he loved it. From the way he describes it, the impression is that the music was what first filled him with an almost delirious joy, but it was his dancing that impressed other people.

At age of twelve Aris was accepted to study dance in the only Dance School in the nation. During his eight years of studies in Tirana, he continued to dance with the school's various groups performing in various concerts. That very much enlarged his repertory and established a strong foundation for his professional career.

Winning the competition in choreography to enter the Academy of Fine Arts was the cornerstone of his professional career as a dancer and choreographer.

In April 1995, he was chosen to represent his country in USA with "Tirana" dancing group. It wasn't the first time Aris had represented his country in international festivals, but it certainly was the last time, as he made the toughest decision of his life to stay in the United States.

Aris first made headlines when the newspaper The Review Appeal published a front page article on Albanian native "Aris Golemi leaps into the air with masculine grace like the member of Albanian ballet he once was" the paper cites.

With the discovery of hip hop, his personal style departed from it's classical (Vaganova Method) roots to what it is today: a melange of hip hop/jazz/ballet/funk with lyrical overtones. For many years he has taught successful jazz programs, master classes and workshops at leading dance facilities in the country. His uniquely designed jazz training program provides the student a learning atmosphere that is supportive, demanding, and fun. His love for dance has taken him for workshops and performances internationally to countries like Turkey, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Greece and Italy.

As a performer, Aris has been featured on CBS, performing live at CMA Awards with country singer Dwight Yoakam. Choreographing for the Opening Show of pop sensation group N'SYNC at Adelphia Coliseum, featured on the music videos of singers Russell Walker and Infinity and Ziklag, performing live for many years with the Dance Company of Albanian National Television and the Academy of Fine Arts. He has performed in many corporate and fashion shows, including performing live for Miss Albania. His recent works include choreographing an infomercial for Aikerson Consulting Group and Apollo Nights in Atlanta, dancing the role of Don Jose in Carmen Ballet with North Atlanta Dance Theatre and being one of the judges for selecting Atlanta Hawks and Georgia Force 2005-06 Dance Teams.