An ode to the art of dance, the passion for dance, the joy of living and growing old

Lenght: 60 min

Premiered January 13th at the Grand Stage, Reykjavík City Theater

The Seasons is a new Icelandic dance piece in four parts by Snædís Lilja Ingadóttir and Valgerður Rúnarsdóttir. In the work, the four seasons—winter, summer, spring, and autumn—are interpreted through dance. The creators of the piece have been influenced by Antonio Vivaldi's musical composition "The Four Seasons" and the numerous ballets created around it. Thus, the eternal orbit of the Earth around the sun, circle after circle, has become the guiding theme of the work. The repetitive choreography mirrors nature, which is both variable and unpredictable, illustrating the connection between humanity and nature and one's inner nature.

The piece is produced by a large group of performing artists, with around twenty dancers bringing the work to life. It is a collaboration with the Icelandic Dance Company and Forward Youth Company, with two actors participating in the piece, in addition to students from the dance department of the Icelandic Academy of the Arts. Other artistic directors include Áskell Harðarson as the composer, Rebekka A. Ingimundar as the set designer, and Tanja Huld Levý Guðmundsdóttir as the costume designer. MurMur Prodcutions assists in production.

Snædís Lilja Ingadóttir, a dancer, actress, and choreographer, graduated with a BA degree in contemporary dance from the Iceland Academy of the Arts and a BA degree in acting from Rose Bruford College. She has been nominated for the Gríman Award as Dancer of the Year three times, for her roles in the works "FARANGUR" by Valgerður Rúnarsdóttir in collaboration with the Icelandic Dance Company (ÍD) in 2014, for her role in "Crecsendo" by Katrín Gunnarsdóttir in 2018, and for her role in "Verk nr. 1,5" by Steinunn Ketilsdóttir in 2019.

In recent years, she has collaborated with Steinunn Ketilsdóttir on the research project "EXPRESSIONS: the power and politics of expectations in dance," resulting in various projects such as "Verk nr. 1,5" and "Verk nr. 2,1," as well as "The Practice Performed," a performance premiered at Vorblót Tjarnarbíós in 2021. Snædís received the Artistic Achievement Award at the Reykjavík Arts Festival in 2020. She performs in the solo piece "Vera og vatnið" by Tinna Grétarsdóttur, which received the Gríman Award for Children's Work of the Year in 2016, and continues to tour internationally with that and other works by Tinna. She also acts in the play "Tower of Babel," directed by Hilde Brinkman, premiered at the National Drama Theatre Kaunas in Lithuania in August 2022 and in Norway in September 2023. Snædís is a board member of the Dance Workshop and regularly teaches at the Department of Performing Arts at the Iceland Academy of the Arts.

Valgerður Rúnarsdóttir has worked as a dancer and choreographer both domestically and internationally since 1998, starting from her graduation with a BA degree in contemporary dance from the Oslo National Academy of the Arts. She completed her Master's degree in performing arts at the Iceland Academy of the Arts in 2022 and a Master's degree in project management (MPM) at the University of Reykjavik in 2023. Valgerður has led numerous projects and has twice received The Icelandic Theater Award for her works "Eyjaskegg" and "Farangur". She has also worked as a choreographer for theatrical productions including "Fíasól," "Ríkharður III," and "Svartlyng" and in films "Abbababb," "Á annan veg," and "París Norðursins".

For a decade, Valgerður worked with the Icelandic Dance Company as a dancer until she began collaborating with Belgian choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, participating in the creation and performance of his works worldwide. Valgerður has collaborated with Erna Ómarsdóttir on several of her works, participated in productions by Leikfélag Reykjavíkur and the National Theatre, and engaged in various independent projects both locally and internationally. She has actively contributed to the advocacy and development of the dance scene in Iceland, serving on the boards of Dansverkstæðið, Reykjavík Dance Festival, the Association of Icelandic Dance Artists, and the Association of Icelandic Actors.

Performing Artists, Dancers of IDC, Forward Youth Company & the Dance Department of IUA

Choreographers:
Snædís Lilja Ingadóttir & Valgerður Rúnarsdóttir

Music:
Áskell Harðarson

Soundscape:
Áskell Harðarson

Lights:
Katerina Blahutova

Set:
Rebekka Austman Ingimundardóttir

Costumes:
Tanja Levý Guðmundssdóttir

Technical director:
Ida Juhl

Production:
MurMur Productions

Photography & Video:
Margrét Seema Takyar

Performing Artists:
Árni Pétur Guðjónsson & Harpa Arnardóttir

Dancers:
Eydís Rose Vilmundardóttir, Inga Maren Rúnarsdóttir, Sarah Fisher Luckow & Shota Inoue

Staff and students from the dance department of the Icelandic Academy of the Arts:
Lea Alexandra Gunnarsdóttir & Sara Lind Guðnadóttir

Members of Forward Youth Company:
Bergþóra Sól Elliðadóttir, Diljá Þorbjargardóttir, Emma Eyþórsdóttir, Hafey Lipka Þormarsdóttir, Hanna Hulda Hafþórsdóttir, Hekla Ýr Þorsteinsdóttir, Kristína Rannveig Jóhannsdóttir, Lára Stefanía Guðnadóttir, Melkorka Embla Hjartardóttir, Oliver Alí Magnússon, Steinunn Þórðardóttir & Sunna Mist Helgadóttir

The Seasons is produced by the creators with support from the Icelandic Arts Council and the City of Reykjavik, in collab­oration with the Icelandic Dance Company.

Sýningarárið 2022–2023