Fanni Ijäs is a Stockholm based dancer, choreographer and teacher from Finland. She works in the field of street dance and is specialized in house and hip hop. In 2013 she graduated from DOCH School of Dance and Circus in Stockholm and has after that studied at Ecole des Sables in Senegal in addition to her trips to New York, Montreal, South Africa and around Europe.
Fanni is a part of house dance collective De La Vibe that promotes house dance culture in Stockholm by organizing clubs, jams and workshops.
As a teacher, Fanni has worked e.g. at DOCH School of Dance and Circus in Stockholm, the Luleå University of Technology in Luleå and Fryshuset high school in Stockholm (SE).
WHAT DOES THE SITE RESIDENCY ENABLE YOU TO DO?
The residency enables me to focus on my artistic practise by offering a concrete place to practice my art. Having access to studios and a black box enables me to test my ideas and start the process of creating a new piece. Having an office place to go to is also a big help. The residency also helps me to get in contact with other artists to exchange ideas and talk about dance.
WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON RIGHT AT THIS MOMENT?
During my residency, I want to explore house dance and its possibilities on stage and in other forums. I’m interested in how a social dance tradition translates into a western dance context.
Right now, I’m working on a solo project where I explore how I dance and which movement behaviour I have at a club. I’m interested in highlighting the parts that are common to the house dance tradition and my dance, and finding a way to present them on stage without compromising getting sucked into the western performance tradition.
HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO FURTHER DEVELOP DURING YOUR RESIDENCY AT SITE?
I want to find a routine as a creator. My goal is to move quicker from the stage of an idea to the actual practical research phase. To shorten the distance between thought and praxis. To produce movement material instead of thinking of producing it.
The residency aims to enable artistic and organizational development, through free access to office space and studio time as well as counselling. Please contact Anne-Sofie Ericsson for more information.