I support teams, couples, and individuals in communicating more clearly, feeling themselves more deeply, and connecting more honestly — with themselves and each other.

I am a rhythmician, peace researcher, and facilitator. My work brings together music and movement education, participatory theatre, and conflict transformation. It is grounded in rhythmics: at six I began learning the Malinke drums of West Africa, later adding guitar, drums, and piano. Music and movement have shaped my understanding of learning, expression, and collaboration ever since.

Background

I studied Music and Movement Education / Rhythmics at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna (MDW) — encouraged, among others, by my long-time partner Ulduz Ahmadzadeh, founder of the ATASH Contemporary Dance Company. During my studies I specialised in therapeutic and inclusive rhythmics, music physiology (“Integrative Breath, Voice and Movement Training”, Bernhard Riebl), and stress reduction and expression training; in parallel I developed music theatre for young audiences with Jeunesse Austria and the Vienna Konzerthaus. My bachelor’s thesis, “Rhythmics as an Approach to Conflict Transformation”, laid the groundwork for my later research.

Seeking stronger social and political grounding, I went on to study Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Innsbruck (UNESCO Chair for Peace Studies), graduating with distinction. Alongside, I worked at the VKKJ therapy centre applying rhythmics in therapeutic settings and trained as a Marte Meo Therapist and Yoga Synergy Instructor (RYT-200). Later, Theater for Living — an evolution of Theatre of the Oppressed — became a core method.

Fields of work

My practice today moves between education, art, and social engagement:

• Weitblick GmbH / Weltklimaspiel — developing curriculum-aligned teaching materials (Sek I/II) and facilitating the game in its core team.
• Klimabündnis Österreich — author of “Das Geschenk der Klimafee” (since 2021) and “Aufstand in Ulmendorf” (2025); turning climate and democracy education into story and play.
• THWS Würzburg-Schweinfurt — external lecturer in participatory theatre and rhythmics for social work students.
• TDU Wien — Theatre of the Oppressed — co-developing peace education formats.
• Pädagogische Hochschule Wien — external lecturer in leisure pedagogy (from 2027).
• Pädagogische Hochschule Tirol — external lecturer for a Weltklimaspiel training (from 2027).

Approach

My work is not a one-size-fits-all solution. I look at what the person or group actually needs — and prefer to work on causes rather than symptoms. The aim is habits that hold up in everyday life: in movement, perception, communication, and leadership. With organisations, I look at structures and processes and make them clearer and more human.

For me, peace starts small: in how we move, speak with one another, and listen. That is exactly where my work begins.

A common thread runs through everything: rhythm — the Malinke drums of my childhood, now the pulse of a group in conversation. Film — a teenage fascination that became a working tool in Marte Meo video analysis. Theatre — first the big stages, now encounters everyone takes part in. And underneath it all, the body: learning, healing, and connection happen through embodiment.

Marek J. P. Zink — Transformative Facilitation e.U.