Biography
Karen Eliza (b. 1983, North Carolina) is an artist, pescatarian and former professional contemporary dancer whose work bridges the arenas of dance, meditation, interior design and art. Her path is carried by a philosophical emphasis on sustainable materiality and a spiritual undercurrent that evokes what’s essential. Her current focus is on creating spaces that invite users to relax and reconnect with their bodies, that foster connection and nurture moments of peace and joy.
In 2025, she earned a B.S. in Interior Design from a CIDA-accredited college in Raleigh, NC and also holds a BFA in Contemporary Dance (2004) from University North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem, NC.
From 2004-2014 she lived and worked in New York City. Performing with choreographers such as Neta Pulvermacher, Rebecca Lazier and Jin Ju Song-Begin among others. She also presented a number of choreographies and partnered with Free Arts NYC to bring dance workshops to underserved children. During this time, she received trainings and certificates as a Personal Trainer, Strength and Conditioning Specialist, and Meditation Instructor. She stopped forcing her body with technique and began working with the breath through organic movement, as well as, site-specific embodied presence through her choreographic practice.
In 2014, Karen relocated to Berlin to embrace a more affordable lifestyle. During a 15 month artist residency at the Lake Studios Berlin, she pivoted her focus to improvisation training and performance. She also developed her teaching practice, offering regular movement workshops and classes to both pre-professionals and amateurs. Eventually, she burnt out on striving to survive as a dancer. At the same time, the city’s enchanting interiors inspired an interest in shaping spatial atmospheres.
In 2018, she spontaneously took a 3 month sabbatical in Portugal before moving back to her home town to spend time with her sick father before he passed. Just before covid hit, she decided to go back to school for Interior Design. In 2023, she completed a presence training program led by Eckhart Tolle. She also consulted for a local commercial health and wellness designer off and on for several years. Recently, Karen found enjoyment in sketching while listening to spiritual talks by different people. She then put the drawings together with a distilled collection of her favorite meditation practices into a coffee table book.
