Bára Sigfúsdóttir
wpZimmer resident in 2019
Bára Sigfúsdóttir is an Icelandic choreographer and dancer living and working in Brussels. She studied contemporary dance at the Icelandic Academy of Arts, at MDT Amsterdam and lastly at P.A.R.T.S., where she focused both on dance training, movement research and choreography. From then on, Brussels is her home base. In her professional career Sigfúsdóttir has initiated and participated in several dance projects as well as more theatrical work and film. As a performer, she has amongst others worked with Or and Oran dance company, Miet Warlop (replacing in Springville), Quan Bui Ngoc, Iris Bouch & Kobe Proesmans, Untamed Productions, Liesbeth Marit, Aëla Labbe, We are from LA and Klaartje Lambrechts. As a choreographer Sigfúsdóttir made her debut with the solo performance On the other side of a sand dune, with music creation by Sóley (Iceland). On the other side of a sand dune is currently touring and has been selected for platforms such as December Dance (Bruges) and ICE HOT (Oslo).
In its essence, the work of Sigfúsdóttir is very personal. Her Icelandic cultural background and own life experiences are inspiration sources for her creations. Within these personal elements she selects those she can export to a universal context and to which anyone can relate to. The young choreographer is interested in human beings, their existence, behaviour and actions and wishes to refer to them in her choreography. At the same time she researches how the same movement can have multiple intentions and new associations by adding small changes in repetition.
projects
The Lover
The Lover is a poetic performance about the complex coexistence of human with his surrounding nature. A lonely creature wanders around in a devoured and abandoned land. A survivor instinct and curiosity for the transformed environment drives its vulnerable body. The Lover is a reflection on our western civilisation, where an ostensible self-governing and artificial economy defines our living standards and in which the gap between human and nature increases. The moving body of Bára Sigfúsdóttir interacts with the photography and installation of Noémie Goudal. The unique choreographic language of Sigfúsdóttir meets the work of Goudal mixing illusion, scenography and photography thus obtaining surreal and poetic landscapes.
Sigfúsdóttir’s affinity towards nature goes back to her youth in Iceland where she was in contact with a basic living standard. Therefore she is very concerned by the export of natural sources and the relatively unknown consequences of commercial exploitation benefiting short-term economical purposes. The Lover portrays a character, thrown back at an instinctive mode, in surroundings where nature is completely consumed by mankind.
credits
Concept, choreography & dance: Bára Sigfúsdóttir
Concept & scenography: Noémie Goudal
Scenography: Noémie Goudal with 88888
Soundscape: Borko
Light design: Kris Van Oudenhove
Production: Curtain Call Productions
Co-production: Workspace Brussels, TAKT Dommelhof, Vooruit (in the frame of the European Network Departures and Arrivals, co-funded by the Creative Europe Program of the European Union)
With the support of wpZimmer, Dansens Hus (Stockholm), de Warande (Turnhout), De Werf (Brugge), CAMPO (Ghent) & Bora Bora (Aarhus)
Funded by the Flemish Community, the Flemish Community Commission & the French Embassy in Belgium (Service de Coopération et d’Action Culturelle / SCAC)