Bára Sigfúsdóttir

© Jolien Naeyaert
© Jolien Naeyaert

Bio

Bára Sigfúsdóttir (1984, IS) is an Icelandic choreographer who studied contemporary dance at the Icelandic Academy of Arts, in the Amsterdam school of the Arts and lastly at P.A.R.T.S., the school of Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker in Brussels, where she focused both on dance training, movement research and choreography.

Bára always takes the process of improvisation as a point of departure from where she develops musical, multilayered choreographic material. She puts a strong focus on the isolation of body segments, onto which she applies different rhythms. The movement she creates keeps transforming and unfolding, generating a multiplicity of notions and references. Interwoven with this approach is Bára´s focus on the human body and its existence in society. The position of the individual in relation to society and nature are recurrent themes in her work. Through various approximations she strives for a direct yet poetic communication with an audience in order to reflect on both temporary and eternal questions such as our relationship with nature, our connection to the past and our position in the present. Bára creates highly personal, visual and imaginative work that reaches a diverse audience.

Bára’s performances On the other side of a sand dune, The Lover, TIDE, 'being' and FLÆÐI have been presented at national and international venues and festivals, including Reykjavik Arts festival, Venice Biennale, Ice-Hot Nordic Dance Platform, Tanzmesse, Performatik festival, Theaterfestival, Moving Futures festival, Theater Aan Zee and Julidans amongst others. In 2015 The Lover was selected for the prestigious Circuit X network, which enabled 5 promising young performance makers to tour extensively in Flanders and the Netherlands. The Lover received 6 nominations for the Icelandic Performing arts Awards in 2019, where Bára was awarded 'Choreographer of the Year' and 'Dancer of the Year' in Iceland.

Projects