Anya Saugstad is a dancer, emerging choreographer, and the artistic director of Furious Grace Dance Theatre. She is originally from Xwlil’xhwm (Bowen Island) and now based in Vancouver Canada, on the unceded territory of the Sḵwx̱ wú7mesh', Stó:lō and Səlílwətaʔ/ Selilwitulh, and xwməθkwəyə̓ m First Nations. 

Anya trained at ArtsUmbrella in the professional training program, has a BFA in Dance from Simon Fraser University, and spent many summers training at The San Francisco Conservatory of dance. As a dancer she has toured and performed around the world with ‘Action at a Distance’ and in Vancouver as a freelancer.

Her company Furious Grace Dance Theatre creates live collaborative performance works in theaters and outdoors. The company focuses on building choreography through a feminist perspective, and creates work that encompasses the juxtaposition of toughness and softness, and perseverance and decay. The company's work is often inspired by nature and animals.

“In my choreographic work I am interested in pushing the body through physicality and softness - creating something that speaks not only to beauty, but anger and strength of humanity and femininity. Sometimes there is a delicateness that is assigned to beauty, and that’s not necessarily the kind of beauty I am interested in. I like beauty that has teeth. And I try to emulate this through my choreographic language.” (Anya Saugstad)

Collaboration is a key focus in her work and they are inspired by bringing together many upcoming and emerging femme voices and artists, to make space to grow together and hold one another through movement.

Anya has created works for Springboard Danse, Ballet Edmonton, ArtsUmbrella, LamonDance, Simon Fraser University, Coastal City Ballet, Method Dance Society, and DanceStreams. Anya’s work has been presented throughout Canada (in Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver) and recently in the USA. Anya Saugstad is the recipient of The Scotiabank Dance Centre Iris Garland Emerging Choreographer Award for 2023/24.