STYGGBO RESIDENCY

Styggbo Residens is a 7-day dance residency in Styggbo, a tiny Swedish forest town. It is a place for dancers from around the world to be immersed in nature, research movement together, and engage in intimate cultural/personal exchange. It offers an educational program (free classes to local students). The residency ends with Dansforum, a Day of Dance at the local school (Viksjöforsbaletten). Dansforum features work created during the residency, performances from local groups (kids and adults), and student exchanges from Europe.

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Styggbo Residens was founded in 2006 by Julia Ehrstrand and has run annually for almost 20 years. In 2018, Julia formed Ehrstrand Dance Collective (EDC), an intercontinental multicultural collective of dance artists who have participated in Styggbo Residens over the years. EDC aims to teach, perform, and collaborate in dance projects around the world, maintaining a focus on international collaboration. Our partner Viksjöforsbaletten has hosted Styggbo Residens since its inception in 2006. They work every year to search for funding and resources to support the logistics of Styggbo Residens.

 

In 2024 Styggbo will host artists from France, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, Greece, Switzerland, Germany, Finland, USA, Japan, and Taiwan. Styggbo provides a platform for international artistic collaboration and exchange with locals in a time where the vitality of art and peaceful cross-national discussion is truly threatened. Dance education is an invaluable tool for learning and self-expression and we aim to make dance accessible to more rural children.

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Centered on international collaboration, Styggbo Residens widens our perspective by including artists from as many different backgrounds as possible. As we navigate the challenging dance world, the connections created in Styggbo offer a strong global network of support. It has already led to the creation of EDC’s annual Taiwan residency (partner Seed Dance Company) and we are building towards residency/exchange opportunities in Japan and Greece. With Viksjöforsbaletten, Styggbo Residens has built an awareness of dance and art in a rural area that is otherwise without access to artistic resources. Many Styggbo artists are highly trained dance educators and Styggbo Residens allows for rich dialogue around movement pedagogies and themes from different countries.