Emmalena Fredriksson
Soft Palate
Photo credits: Luciana Freire D'Anunciação
Emmalena Fredriksson
Emmalena Fredriksson is a contemporary dance artist living and working in Vancouver, Canada, as a guest on the ancestral unceded lands of the Coast Salish peoples. Her practice is defined by choreography as a relational practice in the expanded fields of dance, often collaborating with artists of other disciplines, creating choreographic experiences and dance for social events, film, galleries and performance. Born in Sweden, she received her training at Balettakademien in Umeå and at SEAD in Austria. Emmalena has presented choreographic work, performed and taught internationally with Daghdha Dance Company (IE), Canaldanse (FR), Malta University (MT), Pact Zollverein (DE), and Falmouth University (UK) among others. Based in Vancouver since 2013 her work has been presented locally at Dancing on the Edge, The Dance Centre, Edam, New Works at Night, Push Off and at the Audain and Access Galleries. Commissioned by the National Film Board she co-created Tidal Traces (2017) together with Nancy Lee. Emmalena holds an MFA degree from SFU and regularly teaches at Modus Operandi, Training Society of Vancouver, Harbour Dance Centre and SFU and UBC in Vancouver.
Soft Palate
Soft Palate is a warm switch, a precious shattering, a vivid feel. Close your eyes. Submerge yourself. Under the surface sensitive creatures thrive. Hidden, nestled, burrowing. Soft Palate is a choreographic play on perspective and texture as experienced through three characters' journey into a dream world of subconscious reflections. Inspired by Alice in Wonderland, Hilma af Klint and dream sharing practices, Soft Palate is an interdisciplinary collaborative project that dives deep in to the under currents of our individual and collective psyche. Through surreal and fantastical imagery the audience is taken on a journey they won’t forget, leaving a taste of imagination on the tip of the tongue. Created in the spring of 2020 as part of the Edam choreographic series, I had a desire to look beyond the physical and metaphorical masks we’d been wearing during the pandemic. I wanted to create a space to dream.
Photo credits: Luciana Freire D'Anunciação
Performance History of Soft Palate
Soft Palate has been presented online through the Edam choreographic series.
Other performance history includes: New Commission by Temple Contemporary scheduled for Oct 2020 postponed until 2022/ 2023 tbc, Philadelphia, USA Oh Well scheduled for April 2020 postponed tbc at Left of Main, Vancouver UNTITLEdISTANCEs group piece premiere originally scheduled for Dec 2020 postponed until fall 2022 tbc at The Dance Centre Ecdysis Going Solo Together Festival in Sweden Dec 2020 last minute changed to online presentation Synapses Collaboration with Bob Pritchard, David Owen and Turning Point Ensemble Nov 2020 online presentation. January 2022 performance tbc Wind Eye Commission for SFU’s Interleaving Repertory Dancers go digital Nov 2020 UNTITLEdISTANCEs Artists in Residence at The Dance Centre 2019/2020. Performed at Accelerate 3.0 Vancouver Jan 2020 and at Infringing Dance Festival in Nanaimo in July 2020 Telepresence Choreographic consultant for a VR 360 immersive music performance by Nancy Lee and Kiran Bhumber, performed at the Western Front, Vancouver, CA T(w)o Nearly Touch: You in collaboration with Ziyian Kwan commissioned by Dr. Bob Pritchard for the TASTE project, performed at NIME, Virginia Tech, US UNTITLEdISTANCE in collaboration with Arash Khakpour, performed at Infringing Dance Festival Nanaimo 2020, Dancing on The Edge, Vancouver, CA, Dance Days Victoria, Push Off, New Works at night and Nya Teatern, Orebro, SWE in 2017
Project Details
Project created by: Emmalena Fredriksson in collaboration with the other artists
Key Collaborators:
Hayley Gawthrop and Jessica Keeling (dance, voice)
Alaia Hamer (costume)
Taylor Janzen and Gabriel Raminhos (lighting design)
Linda Fox (music)
Audience: General Audience
Length in minutes: 20 - 30 minutes - This is a work for a mixed program and or could be a mixed program with Ecdysis. Both Ecdysis and Soft Palate share elaborate costumes (by the same costume designer) and new world imaginings.
Space required: This work is built for theatre. Ecdysis could be presented in smaller and larger theatre spaces. It requires theatre lights and full black out.
Preparation required: One day
General technical requirements: A general lighting grid will suffice for this work, ability to enter and exit stage is important. Props include 200+ ping pong balls.
Availabilities: Anytime 2022 onwards
Number of performers on tour: 3
Number of support staff on tour: 1
Community Engagement Activities
I have an extensive teaching practice and would be more than happy to share that through community workshops and master classes. Ranging in level of experience and age. Alaia, Bob and I could also do a lecture-demonstration about the costumes. I can provide fees and propose schedule and formats based on each community/ place/ performance context.
Contact: Emmalena Fredriksson, emmalenafredriksson@gmail.com
Website: emmalenafredriksson.com
Instagram: emmalenafredriksson