Dansdagar is a 6 day Dance Festival held May 19th - May 24th. It offers professional dance classes and workshops, public events, afternoon activities, an open stage and more!

Dansdagar is a collaboration between Dansverkstæðið and Iceland Dance Company.

The goal of the festival is to offer professional dance training where both dance professionals and dance enthusiasts can attend an exciting dance program for a whole week.

For this third version of Dansdagar, the focus is on the meeting point of contemporary dance and community dance, how we can create dialogue between different dance communities in Iceland and how dance can be a force of solidarity.

Workshops and classes are held at Dansverkstæðið whilst the Open Stage, Dance Battle and performance evening are hosted at Nýja svið in Borgarleikhúsið.

Warmly welcome to join us for this unique opportunity to engage with the local dance communities in Iceland!

See the whole program here

Monday May 19

Tuesday May 20

Wednesday May 21

Thursday May 22

Friday May 23

Saturday May 24

Dansdagar is a 6 day Dance Festival held May 19th - May 24th. It offers professional dance classes and workshops, public events, afternoon activities, an open stage, dance battle and more!

Dansdagar is a collaboration between Dansverkstæðið and Iceland Dance Company.

The goal of the festival is to offer professional dance training where both dance professionals and dance enthusiasts can attend an exciting dance program for a whole week.

For this third version of Dansdagar, the focus is on the meeting point of contemporary dance and community dance, how we can create dialogue between different dance communities in Iceland and how dance can be a force of solidarity.

Workshops and classes are held at Dansverkstæðið whilst the Open Stage, Dance Battle and performance evening are hosted at Nýja svið in Borgarleikhúsið.

Warmly welcome to join us for this unique opportunity to engage with the local dance communities in Iceland!

Repertoire from The Simple Act of Letting Go - Class with Emilía Gísladóttir

Kl. 10-12 Dansverkstæðið

As part of Dansdagar (Dance Days), Emilía Gísladóttir invites you to an open class where she will teach a repertoire from The Simple Act of Letting Go by Tom Weinberger, originally premiered by the Iceland Dance Company in 2023.

Emilía has had a long and distinguished career as a dancer, performing with the Iceland Dance Company as well as with internationally renowned companies such as Compañía Nacional de Danza in Spain and GöteborgsOperans Danskompani in Sweden. She has worked with acclaimed choreographers including Mats Ek, Ohad Naharin, Sharon Eyal, Jirí Kylián, and many more.

This is an advanced-level class.

Registration

UGLY DANCE

Kl. 13.-16 Dansverstæðið

In the workshop we will explore ugly dance—approaching it from different angles through a range of exercises designed to draw it out of the body. The aim is to go deep, to move past the joke and into something more raw and revealing. We’ll explore ugly solos, ugly duets, and ugly group dances.

Workshop with Margrét Bjarnadóttir
Join Margrét Bjarnadóttir for a week-long workshop, running Monday to Friday from 13:00 to 16:00 every day, culminating in a final performance on Saturday evening at Nýja sviðið in Borgarleikhúsið.

This is a unique opportunity to work closely with one of Iceland’s most compelling choreographers in an intensive and creative setting.

This workshop is held in collaboration with the IDC, with half of the available slots reserved for company dancers. If you're interested in joining, please reach out at id@id.is — spaces are limited!

Monday 19th of May Feldenkrais + CI workshop - Francesca Frewer

Kl. 13-16 Dansverkstæðið

In this workshop we will cultivate fine-tuned awareness and embodied sensitivity as means for becoming more agile and responsive within the emerging unknown of Contact Improvisation. Drawing on principles of the somatic practice The Feldenkrais Method, we will develop our understanding of how to organize our structures for efficient transmission of forces in both weight-sharing and solo dancing. 

We will practice attending to subtlety, balancing softness and strength, and continually seeking the path of greatest ease. We will pursue adaptability in our movement so that we can have a sense of always having many options, and explore how this gives us a greater ability to both listen to and respond to our partner. 

Beginning with a solo warm up that engages a fine-tuned awareness in our own bodies, then moving into structured partner explorations and more open-ended collective improvisation + CI scores, we will work towards a state of presence and embodied readiness that is so responsive that we can feel as though we are simply observing the dance unfold as we dance it.

Registration

Contemporary class - Francesca Frewer

Kl. 10-12 Dansverkstæðið

In this contemporary morning class, we will see technique as the discovery of what works well for our body and movement, embracing that this is unique for each person while grounding our approach in anatomical and biomechanical principles. Through open-ended movement explorations as well as choreographed phrase work, we will cultivate ease and flow, finding a balance between support and release as we explore our relationship to the floor and gravity. 

Francesca is interested in dance practice as a means for finding a sense of freedom in the body and attention -- to this end the class will pursue a wide spectrum of movement qualities and the ability to freely choose between them in our dancing. We will ease into our warm up, spend ample time with the floor, and build towards effortlessly flowing through up, down, and changing orientations. We will ground our study in efficiency in movement, attention to detail, lightness in our mindset, and finding joy in the process.

Registration

UGLY DANCE

Kl. 13.-16 Dansverstæðið

In the workshop we will explore ugly dance—approaching it from different angles through a range of exercises designed to draw it out of the body. The aim is to go deep, to move past the joke and into something more raw and revealing. We’ll explore ugly solos, ugly duets, and ugly group dances.

Workshop with Margrét Bjarnadóttir
Join Margrét Bjarnadóttir for a week-long workshop, running Monday to Friday from 13:00 to 16:00 every day, culminating in a final performance on Saturday evening at Nýja sviðið in Borgarleikhúsið.

This is a unique opportunity to work closely with one of Iceland’s most compelling choreographers in an intensive and creative setting.

This workshop is held in collaboration with the IDC, with half of the available slots reserved for company dancers. If you're interested in joining, please reach out at id@id.is — spaces are limited!

Workshop: Ballroom & Vogue 101 - Rebecca “Ondina” Hidalgo

Kl. 13-16 Dansverkstæðið

Voguing is one of the most widely known categories from the Ballroom scene. It is a highly stylized, technical and improvisational dance style that emphasizes poses and shape, confidence, musicality and individuality. While its history traces back to the early 1900s, Ballroom as we know it today emerged in the 1960s from Black & Latino LGBTQIA+ communities and involves multiple categories such as Runway, Face, Realness, Voguing (Old Way, Femme, New Way…). 

In this workshop, we will review the history & evolution of the style, learn technique elements for Runway categories (posing and walks), and go into the basics of the performance category by learning the 5 elements of Vogue.  

This workshop is open to those of all dance backgrounds & abilities. 

Price- suggested price & sliding scale available

Registration

Ballroom Culture- Screening & Open practice session presented by R.E.C Arts Reykjavík for Dansdagar 2025

Kl. 19-22 Dansverkstæðið

Community Screening- “Paris is Burning”

We invite you to attend a screening & discussion session of the award-winning documentary Paris is Burning (1990) (1hr 11 min) 

This film chronicles Ball culture of NYC in the mid-late 1980s, and the Black & Latino Queer & Trans communities involved. Considered one of the most important and educational films preserving the legacy of ballroom and voguing, it examines issues of race, glass and gender among others. We acknowledge that this film is not without fault or controversy behind the lens- as such, we will also be watching a short 17- minute documentary Legendary: 30 Years of Philly Ballroom (2019) to examine how the scene has grown over the years from a more insider perspective. 

After the screenings, we will have a group reflection/ discussion followed by an open practice session! This is your chance to practice your runway walks, 5 elements of vogue, and jam out with each other in a safe community environment!

Popcorn, light snacks and drinks will be provided!

The space will open at 18:30 in Sal 1. Folks are welcome to sit in chairs, on the floor, use pillows, yoga mats, etc. The facility is fully wheelchair accessible.

Miðvikudagur. 21. maí

Repertoire from The Simple Act of Letting Go - Class with Emilía Gísladóttir

Kl. 10-12 Dansverkstæðið

As part of Dansdagar (Dance Days), Emilía Gísladóttir invites you to an open class where she will teach a repertoire from The Simple Act of Letting Go by Tom Weinberger, originally premiered by the Iceland Dance Company in 2023.

Emilía has had a long and distinguished career as a dancer, performing with the Iceland Dance Company as well as with internationally renowned companies such as Compañía Nacional de Danza in Spain and GöteborgsOperans Danskompani in Sweden. She has worked with acclaimed choreographers including Mats Ek, Ohad Naharin, Sharon Eyal, Jirí Kylián, and many more.

This is an advanced-level class.

Registration

UGLY DANCE

Kl. 13.-16 Dansverstæðið

In the workshop we will explore ugly dance—approaching it from different angles through a range of exercises designed to draw it out of the body. The aim is to go deep, to move past the joke and into something more raw and revealing. We’ll explore ugly solos, ugly duets, and ugly group dances.

Workshop with Margrét Bjarnadóttir
Join Margrét Bjarnadóttir for a week-long workshop, running Monday to Friday from 13:00 to 16:00 every day, culminating in a final performance on Saturday evening at Nýja sviðið in Borgarleikhúsið.

This is a unique opportunity to work closely with one of Iceland’s most compelling choreographers in an intensive and creative setting.

This workshop is held in collaboration with the IDC, with half of the available slots reserved for company dancers. If you're interested in joining, please reach out at id@id.is — spaces are limited!

Ballet Axis “Point of Axis“ - show at Dansverkstæðið

Dansverkstæðið, at 20:30 - Free entrance

"Pointe of Axis" is a Neo-Classical/Contemporary Ballet inspired by the primal energy of the natural world. An original work expanding through the structure of ballet and exploring themes of survival, connection and transformation through dance, light and music. The original score is composed by dancer Þorbjörg Jónasdóttir drawing inspiration from Icelandic nature. To enhance the performance's depth, the piano is pre-recorded, while the strings are performed live by Viola player, Diljá Finnsdóttir. This interplay of piano and live strings weaves an evocative narrative, offering a dynamic musical experience. Pointe of Axis will premiere at the Reykjavik Fringe Festival.

Belly dance and body empowerment through movement- Adoré / R.E.C.Arts

Kl. 10-12 Dansverkstæðið

Bellydance Blend is a combination of the hypnotic, rhythm-rich styles from the Silk Road and contemporary dance. We will focus on the hallmarks of belly dance- shimmies, isolations, and undulations, as well as layering these movements. Elements from modern and jazz will also be incorporated, creating a modern twist on this beautiful, ancient dance.

This class is suitable for all levels, and can be modified.

Adoré aka Dori Baldvinsson is a performer, teacher, artist and writer from the U.S. She has graced stages worldwide as a soloist with the dance production “Bellydance Superstars”, and has performed in commercials, films and music videos. She is a lifelong dancer, having studied ballet, jazz, modern tap and many other styles, as well as a (former) nationally competitive gymnast. Additionally, she is a RYT200 yoga instructor and reiki master, and combines her extensive knowledge of movement and healing work with humor and compassion in all of her classes. Adoré's classes are more than just a space to learn the dance; they're safe containers for expression and community building. Come experience the joy!

Registration

UGLY DANCE

Kl. 13.-16 Dansverstæðið

In the workshop we will explore ugly dance—approaching it from different angles through a range of exercises designed to draw it out of the body. The aim is to go deep, to move past the joke and into something more raw and revealing. We’ll explore ugly solos, ugly duets, and ugly group dances.

Workshop with Margrét Bjarnadóttir
Join Margrét Bjarnadóttir for a week-long workshop, running Monday to Friday from 13:00 to 16:00 every day, culminating in a final performance on Saturday evening at Nýja sviðið in Borgarleikhúsið.

This is a unique opportunity to work closely with one of Iceland’s most compelling choreographers in an intensive and creative setting.

This workshop is held in collaboration with the IDC, with half of the available slots reserved for company dancers. If you're interested in joining, please reach out at id@id.is — spaces are limited!

Who is Why?- Dance Enthusiasts

Kl. 13-16 Dansverkstæðið

Movement improvisation workshop

For anyone enthusiastic about movement improvisation, no previous dance or theatre experience required but welcomed. 

The workshop will be a teaser of the upcoming digital tool of dance and theatre improvisation tasks that will be launched on the following Monday, 26th of May. The platform will be beneficial for anyone who facilitates, teaches or would like to self-organise improvisation meetings.. 

This session is more than a class; it's an experimental format built around co-facilitation, where every participant stands on equal footing. The facilitator does not assume a traditional role of authority but instead engages as a peer among equals. You can expect to lead, follow, sweat, dance and improvise in this workshop.

Educators from Dansverkstæðið, Iceland: Janosch Bela Kratz, Linde Hanna Rongen, Magdalena Tworek & Meeri Mäkinen

Educators from Contemporary Arts Foundation, Poland: Tomek J Krynicki, Piotr Filonowicz, Aleksandra Kowalczyk, Yuliya Dzichkouskaya.

*Project REFLECT (number KA210-ADU-1AAB5EBC) is co-financed by the European Union.

Registration

Dabke - Manar Azzeh og Íris Stefanía

Kl. 10-12 Dansverkstæðið

Manar Azzeh and Íris Stefanía teach palestinian dabke and belly dance.

Íris is a belly dance teacher at Kramhúsið and choreographed a dance to the song Milliardat by the Palestinian hip hop group DAM. She wanted the final section of the dance to be dabke and invited dancer Manar to join the project.

Manar is from Palestine and danced with the same dance group for many years, starting from childhood. She now lives in Iceland and has taught dabke in various places, including alongside Íris at Kramhúsið.

Now they reunite to teach the dance at Dansverkstæðið.
You can expect speed and sweat, joy and an incredible burst of energy!

Registration

Symbiotic Bodies: Ecosomatic Practices of Coexistence – free event

Workshop with Tomasz Jagusztyn-Krynicki & Yuliya Dzichkouskaya

Kl. 10.-14 Dansverstæðið

A two-day ecosomatic laboratory at the intersection of movement, ecological thinking  and somatic practice — exploring our shared evolutionary history with microbial life. We delve into the invisible yet omnipresent tissue of interdependence: from the gut microbiome to cellular respiration, from skin to soil. A movement-based descent through layers of bodily and microbial life.

Grounded in the theory of symbiogenesis and inspired by Body-Mind Centering®, the workshop guides participants through de-evolutionary and re-evolutionary sequences — reconnecting body, breath and the microbial world. We trace our shared microbial past while sensing what ferments, breaks down, and co-creates within and around us.

On the first day, we work indoors with somatic tools, neurocellular patterns, and internal landscape mapping. On the second day, we move outdoors — opening the body to atmospheric, soil-based, and multispecies relational practices.

Open to dancers, movers, and somatic practitioners of all levels. The process is gentle and experiential — no prior BMC® experience is required.

Photo: @Yuliya Dzichkouskaya 

Registration

UGLY DANCE

Kl. 13.-16 Dansverstæðið

In the workshop we will explore ugly dance—approaching it from different angles through a range of exercises designed to draw it out of the body. The aim is to go deep, to move past the joke and into something more raw and revealing. We’ll explore ugly solos, ugly duets, and ugly group dances.

Workshop with Margrét Bjarnadóttir
Join Margrét Bjarnadóttir for a week-long workshop, running Monday to Friday from 13:00 to 16:00 every day, culminating in a final performance on Saturday evening at Nýja sviðið in Borgarleikhúsið.

This is a unique opportunity to work closely with one of Iceland’s most compelling choreographers in an intensive and creative setting.

This workshop is held in collaboration with the IDC, with half of the available slots reserved for company dancers. If you're interested in joining, please reach out at id@id.is — spaces are limited!

Leaf : performed for Ocean shores- Dance enthusiasts

Kl: 16:00 - 17:00

Performance DansDagar - Dance enthusiasts

Performative walk

Where: Shore of Ægisida. Starting point TBA. Ending point in the sauna by the shore.

Open to the public

Performative walk with Dance enthusiasts on the shore of Ægisida. Perhaps it will be sunny and we will reach Snæfellsjökull with our eyes and ears? Perhaps it will rain, while we listen to the raindrops cricketing through the soil. Or will the wind blow, carrying the stories of the future and past. Stories of when Iceland was covered by forests. 

Where Iceland was and is a forest land?

Join an audible walk with a live performance created with and by community project participants facilitated by the Improv for Dance Enthusiasts collective. 

*Project LEAF is co-financed by the European Union.

Do your own - Cut outs Workshop - Endurtakk

Kl: 15:00 - 19:00, Dansverkstæðið

Tired of always buying new clothes and feeding into the capitalist agenda? Come and give a new hot look to your training clothes with this cut-outs workshop! 

Designed and hosted by the one and only Endurtakk, get to stitch some reflective, cool designs into your favorite training clothes, and turn some of those sweaty rags into cutesy riches…

Fargufa Sauna x Dansdagar - Sauna available after outside performance Leaf.

Kl: 17:00-19:00, Ægissíða, by the sheds.

The sauna is included in the festival pass or if you buy a day pass you can also buy an entrence on the day if space allows.

Aufguss every half an hour, warm sauna inbetween. Space limited to 10 people at a time. 

fargufa.is

Potluck Party

Kl: 18:00-23:00, Dansverkstæðið

Come join us for a proper Dansdagar party! We’ll share food, music, good vibes — and of course, the dance floor. Bring one dish for the table, your own drinks, and get ready for an evening full of energy and fun.

Bring:
– One dish to share
– Your own drinks
– Party spirit and dancing energy

Let’s eat, move, and celebrate together — see you there!

Symbiotic Bodies: Ecosomatic Practices of Coexistence – free event

Workshop with Tomasz Jagusztyn-Krynicki & Yuliya Dzichkouskaya

Kl. 10.-14 Outdoor location (Reykjavík)

A two-day ecosomatic laboratory at the intersection of movement, ecological thinking  and somatic practice — exploring our shared evolutionary history with microbial life. We delve into the invisible yet omnipresent tissue of interdependence: from the gut microbiome to cellular respiration, from skin to soil. A movement-based descent through layers of bodily and microbial life.

Grounded in the theory of symbiogenesis and inspired by Body-Mind Centering®, the workshop guides participants through de-evolutionary and re-evolutionary sequences — reconnecting body, breath and the microbial world. We trace our shared microbial past while sensing what ferments, breaks down, and co-creates within and around us.

On the first day, we work indoors with somatic tools, neurocellular patterns, and internal landscape mapping. On the second day, we move outdoors — opening the body to atmospheric, soil-based, and multispecies relational practices.

Open to dancers, movers, and somatic practitioners of all levels. The process is gentle and experiential — no prior BMC® experience is required.

Photo: @Yuliya Dzichkouskaya

Skráning

PERFORMANCE - UGLY DANCE

Kl: 19:00, New stage Borgarleikhús

The week’s work will culminate in a 30-minute performance at the new stage in Borgarleikhúsið, taking place from 19:00 to 19:30.

DANCE BATTLE - DANSDAGAR 2025

Kl: 20:00, Nýja svið Borgarleikhússins

Come and experience a real Dance Battle hosted by Dansdagar in collaboration with Ice Crew.

The Dance Battle will take place in Borgarleikhús / Nýja svið Saturday 24th of May at 8pm.

The event provides the opportunity for all kinds of dancers to come together and share their passion for dance, all the while battling it out in front of judges, their friends and an audience.

The battle is "open category" (all dance styles welcome).

The amazing Ola from Ice Crew will be the master of ceremonies!

Judging panel and DJ to be announced!

Dancers interested in participating in the Dance Battle can register by the door or via email:

id@id.is (subject: Dance Battle)