About us
INFLUX
(ˈɪnˌflʌks)
noun
1. act of flowing in
2. inundation
3. the place at which one stream flows into another or into the sea
4. the mouth of a stream
INFLUX was founded by Nayana Keshava Bhat in 2017, with a vision of creating an open, fluid network of artists from various disciplines including dance, theatre, music, and performance.
INFLUX acts as a channel that brings together influences of diverse branches of artistic knowledge and practice, creating an interdisciplinary space.
Envisioned as a framework for connecting artists with artists, experts, and audiences, INFLUX is meant to facilitate exchange, animate synergies, and thereby make room for newer artistic expression.
This is made possible through a variety of forms and formats such as performances, research labs, workshops for artists & non-artists, artistic projects with children and youth, documentation of artistic & research processes, and collaborations between various disciplines.
INFLUX commits to preserving dedicated spaces for non-European artistic practices including, but not limited to, South Asian art forms. By bringing influences of non Euro-centric perspectives, we pledge to the preservation of diversity in culture.
An important extension to this mission is emphasis on intercultural dialogue.
Through INFLUX, we work hard at creating bridges within and between the arts, science, education, activism, politics and other aspects of society.
We are in flux, persistently moving with undaunted curiosity towards what we are yet to discover; constantly moving out of recognisable form; upholding the spirit of creativity. Based in the city of Salzburg but made of artists from all over the world, INFLUX strives at creating artist(ic) communities that go beyond homogeneity, based on trust, generosity, and solidarity.
Nayana Keshava Bhat
Founder & Artistic Director
Nayana Keshava Bhat is a choreographer and dancer, with a practice rooted in interdisciplinarity. Born and raised in the coastal town of Udupi, India, she has been based in Salzburg, Austria since 2012.
Nayana had her foundational training in Bharatanatyam under Guru Shubhada Sudhir for eight years, and Guru Minal Prabhu thereafter, alongside training in Kathak with Kinnari Modi for four years, followed by Guru Dipanjali Bedi. In 2010, she encountered improvisational practices in performance for the first time through her apprenticeship with Katie Duck, which became a formative element of her artistic practice in the following years.
She completed a postgraduate program in choreography from Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance (SEAD) in 2013.
Nayana has a Bachelor's degree in Journalism, and has published her writings in various Indian and Austrian print as well as online publications. Her artistic medium is an amalgamation of all these disciplines, along with some influence of clown-theatre, generated through years of collaborative work with clown-theatre practitioners.
In 2017, she founded “INFLUX – Network for Dance, Theatre and Performance”, to sustain her work in multiple forms and formats under one umbrella.
In 2022, Nayana was awarded the "Annual Fellowship Prize for Performing Arts - Dance & Performance" by the Federal State of Salzburg for her research in Choreography and Improvisation as mutually inclusive performative practices. She has collaborated with dancers, musicians, visual and performing artists such as, Katie Duck, Marinella Senatore, Michikazu Matsune, Veena Basavarajaish, Deepak Shivaswamy, Helge Leiberg, Edgar Janssen, Olivia Mitterhuemer, Tomaž Simatović, Chris Dahlgren, Dorit Ehlers, Jordina Millà, Almut Kühne, amongst others.
Our Team
Olivia Mitterhuemer
Natalia Castaneira
Carolin Gstädtner
Olivia Mitterhuemer
Olivia Mitterhuemer is a dancer, choreographer, and dance teacher based in Salzburg, specializing in House Dance and Hip-Hop Freestyle. She has performed at festivals and stages such as brut Vienna, ImpulsTanz, the Palace of Fine Arts San Francisco, or Mozartwoche Salzburg.
With her company Potpourri Dance, she created 6 choreographic works as an artistic director. She has taught at institutions like SEAD, the ORFF Institute, and Festspielhaus St. Pölten, and as co-founder of the Flavourama festival in Salzburg, she shares her experiences as an artist and organizer. In 2024, she was awarded with the Kulturfonds Award of the City of Salzburg for her year-long cultural work.
Natalia Castaneira
Natalia Castaneira was born in Mexico in 1986. She began her dance career in Barcelona, where she conducted several courses and workshops in dance and theatre at different schools. She continued her studies and had the opportunity to attend various workshops in Brussels and Mexico. In 2012 she graduated from the SEAD (Salzburg Experimetal Academy of Dance). As a dancer she has worked with various companies in Mexico, Austria and Spain. In 2017 she was awarded with the support of the "National Fund for Culture and Art" of Mexico, which allowed her to immerse herself in choreography. Since then she has presented several of her own pieces in Austria and Mexico. Natalia had the opportunity to share her dance knowledge through workshops in Mexico and Europe. She currently lives and works as a dancer/choreographer and dance and Pilates teacher in Salzburg.
Her interest in improvisation led her to approach INFLUX association, of which she has been a part since 2024.
Carolin Gstädtner
Carolin Gstädtner is a cultural manager and musician. After her studies (Cultural Management M.A./B.A., Piano B.o.M.) in Saarbrücken, she worked in PR and Marketing at Oper Köln and moved to Salzburg in 2021 to work with œnm. Since 2024 she is part of Flavourama Hip Hop & House Dance Festival and Potpourri Dance. Besides her work as a production manager for different projects and festivals, she is also active as a musician and creates her own artistic concepts for alternative art events. In 2025 she joined INFLUX and is pleased to support the important work of the network.
Hannes Arnold
Kim Kanwischer
Hannes Arnold
Born in Austria, Hannes studied music and communication in Salzburg. For ten years he then worked and lived in London before returning to his home country. His interest and main focus have always been in arts and culture.
With his expertise in communication, he helps art institutions as well as performance groups and communities to find their voice in a digital world, specialising in social media and web content.
In the past few years Hannes has been working with the Museum der Moderne Salzburg, with a London-based opera composer, INFLUX, as well as maintaining an active career as a freelance horn player.
The collaboration with INFLUX is a special one. It developed from improvising together on stage creatively to communicating the network’s mission to new audiences strategically.
Kim Kanwischer
Kim Kanwischer was born in the USA and moved to Berlin to study musical theatre. She is not only an enthusiastic dance teacher, but also a creative all-rounder who contributes her experience in various areas of the arts and cultural industry. As a musical performer she has performed on many stages and gained a deep understanding of the entire production behind the scenes.
Kim has been working in production management since 2003 and has worked at the Theater im Zentrum, Staatstheater Kassel, among others, where she gained valuable experience in the development of productions. Her passion for event planning and organization led her into the world of event organization in 2011 where she not only took care of the coordination of the production processes, but also built up sponsor relationships and developed creative marketing strategies.
Since 2015, Kim has led the Kane School program in Germany and Austria, which focuses on Embodiment Practice (Pilates training) and further deepened her enthusiasm for movement and bodywork. With a great passion for creative projects, Kim is looking forward to bringing her experience back into the dance world and realizing new, exciting productions.