About

Rósa Ómarsdóttir is an Icelandic, Brussels based, dancer and choreographer. She studied at the Icelandic University of the Arts and P.A.R.T.S. in Brussels. 

In her artistic practice she explores human and non-human encounters, searching for non-anthropocentric narratives. Her ongoing research deals with finding an ecosystem of humans, objects and invisible forces, exploring the power dynamics which occur in those encounters.

Her work is interdisciplinary, interweaving choreography with live sound-production and dynamic scenography. Her work engages with a feminist approach to dramaturgy and performance, enhancing vulnerable and fluctuating tendencies in her choreography, and decentring of overpowering human and masculine dispositions in performative practices. 

Rósa has made several performances in collaboration with Inga Huld Hákonardóttir:  Wilhelm Scream (2014), The Valley (2015), and Da Da Dans (2016) , a commission for the Icelandic Dance Company. She then moved on to create work as a solo author:  Traces (2017) Spills (2019). Her work has been presented internationally at festivals and venues such as Beursschouwburg, Kunstencentrum Buda, Kaai Studios, Museum Dhont Daenens, Bozar, Rosendal Theater, MDT Stockholm, Julidans, Brakke Grond, Reykjavík Dance Festival, Ganz Novi, Homo Novus and MIR Festival.

Her work has received numerous nominations to the Icelandic Theatre Awards Gríman, The Valley being awarded ‘Choreography of the Year’ and Spills for ‘Soundscape of the Year’.

Rósa has been an artist in residence at Chaillot Theatre National de la Dance, Bora Bora Dans & Visuelt Teater, KAAP Brugge, Vooruit, Stuk, WpZimmer, Buda, MDT Stockholm, Avant Garden Trondheim, Dansverkstæðið, Tjarnarbíó and more. She is supported by Kunstenwerkplaats Pianofabriek for her artistic trajectory and productional support. 

Rósa is currently an artist in residency at Akademie Schloss Solitude, supported by Produktionzentrum Stuttgart, where she holds a six months fellowship.

Along with her choreographic practice Rósa has been leading the project Secondhand Knowledge since 2016. Through this project she focuses on peripheral dance communities and their relation to dance history and the notion of secondhand knowledge. The project is consolidated through series of workshops and interviews and presented locally at the end of the stay.
This project has travelled to Cyprus, Greece, Croatia, Latvia, Norway, Iceland, Denmark, Tehran and Cairo. This project is still ongoing. 

Furthermore, Rósa engages in teaching and leading workshops at dance and choreography at contemporary dance university programs, frequently teaching at the Icelandic University of the Arts.
She has written articles for dance and art magazines, published i.e. in Rekto:Verso, Charli Mag and Koreografi.

Rósa was one of the founders of the artist led initiative Engagement, a platform which works on combating sexism and power abuse in the performing arts industry, working alongside the arts community agains sexual harassment towards equal and fair practices in the arts.

Contact: rosaomars@gmail.com