Ulrika Larsen
dancer, choreographer, producer, pedagogue
About me:
I am a dancer and a choreographer with Indian classical dance, mainly the East Indian dance form Odissi, as my foundation. My focus is to explore new ways to communicate in movement and dance using different Indian and non-Indian disciplins and expressions of contemporary performance arts through my platform and organisation Odissi Dansproduktion. I am particularly interested in how I can relate Indian classical dance to a contemporary western context and in what happens to the dance form when it migrates, subsides and transforms in Sweden.
I have received my Indian dance training during 6 years, partly as an ICCR (Indian Council for Cultural Relations) scholar, in Chennai, Delhi, Bangalore and Bhubaneswar. Apart from my Indian Classical background I am also trained in Buto dance and western contemporary dance and performing art. This makes me stand with one foot in the contemporary performing art and the other firmly rooted in South Asian techniques and expressions. I have toured since 2000 and performed Odissi, East Indian classical dance all around Sweden, but also in India and Ukraine.
I am further educated at Stockholm University of Dance and Cirkus and later on did my Master Degree at Stockholm University of Drama in Directing and Dramaturgy for Movement based Arts. I presented the interactive performance LOOP- revisiting a memory, and wrote my Master Essay: HYBRID MUDRA.
Between 2011-2014 I had an artist residency at SITE Stockholm and since 2007 I have run a festival and a platform called Movement in exile, www.movementinexile.com to highlight contemporary dance originating in traditions usually not considered western dance.
I have created and produced many dance productions for both children and adults a well as several site specific works in both Indian classical and contemporary choreography. Since many years I have promoted and taught Indian classical and creative dance to school children and teenagers through among others Skapande skola /Creative school and Amatörer möter proffs/Amateurs meets professionals.