Who we are

Raúl Saldarriaga is an artistic researcher, performer, choreographer, and the founder of Casagrafia. For more than 20 years, he has been teaching, creating, and supporting artistic and creative projects in Colombia and across Europe. His work focuses on contemporary dance, partnering dance, improvisation, and Contact Improvisation, exploring movement as a space for creativity, playfulness, communication, and human connection.

Raúl holds a BA in Art Pedagogy and a BA in Contemporary Dance, alongside an MA in Interactive Media and Choreography (Hanze University, The Netherlands) and an MA in Choreography and Community (Codarts and Fontys University). Backed by extensive international experience teaching across Europe and South America, his artistic practice lives at the intersection of rigorous academic research and deep human warmth. Operating under the philosophy of Sentipensar—where sensing, physical intuition, and emotional experience fluidly merge with intellectual depth—he currently serves as a teacher at the Vrije Hogeschool. Through Casagrafia, Raúl cultivates an inclusive, vibrant community space where high-level artistic knowledge serves as a tool for genuine human connection and shared creation.        

Roos Smith is a maker, entrepreneur, and pedagogue with a background in theatre, arts education, and pedagogy. After studying Textile & Free Design at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague, she worked for many years as a costume designer for various theatre companies.

Alongside her work in the arts, she developed as a pedagogical coach and co-founded Kinderopvang Klein Amsterdam.

Driven by her fascination with movement, performance, and Contact Improvisation, Roos explores the relationship between body, space, and connection.

Within Casagrafia, she is involved in management and organizational coordination. Through her personal artistic research, she also contributes to the collective’s artistic development.