Undine Nefeli Oikonomou

Nefeli Oikonomou (GR/SE)

Nefeli Oikonomou is a dancer/choreographer/dance pedagogue/performing artist from Greece, based in Sweden. Her work is characterised by an enigmatic and almost philosophical approach to movement and a strive to locate it in uncommon places, contexts and bodies. Nefeli’s work connects knowledge in the field of dance and choreography with a drive for interdisciplinary hybrids that embrace new ways of relating to one’s own body and its surroundings. In her artistic praxis analysis, embodiment and displacement are common methods through which she processes ideas for stage and other performative settings. She uses texts, dance, poetry, video, movement on an equal level to broaden our understanding of the body’s politics and performativity. To hear and be heard, to see and be seen, to touch and be touched are topics of both alienation and intimacy for which she rigorously tries to find new ways of relating within her choreographic work. She works with new methods, dance practices and performative proposals, which strive to move the audience through poetic landscapes and guide them to explore new ways of seeing, listening and feeling. From small to social movements, bodily affects and poetic encounters, she engages in dance to intensify the body as a place of constant transformation.Questions around social norms, working ethics, embodied knowledge are centrefold in her vision and assist her to locate dance in new places and in a non hierarchical manner.Various themes she has worked with are, for example, the body in the crisis, working conditions, alternative political history and questions about identity, style, intimacy.

Nefeli graduated Dance in Athens (MoC) and Design in Siros (UoA), she has completed her Master’s degree in Choreography at DOCH and the interdisciplinary post graduate course Organizing Discourse at Konstfack University. She has produced various works, such as Weavers, Punks Not Dead, The Art of Laboring, Rhymes of Pleasure, CFT with performances in theaters both locally, such as Weld, Stenkrossen, Hallen, MDT and internationally, such as Kino Kultura (N Macedonia), Michalis Cacoyiannis Foundation, Kinitiras (GR). Through the long term collaboration with Sebastian Lingserius she has co-created the duets I Am Ballet, DANCER and POLY and performed in various international contexts, such in the Philippines (P-Noise Festival, 2017), Spain and France (Point Ephémère, 2019). She has been selected for the SITE Sweden Artist Scholarship for 2019/2020 and was awarded the Life Long Burning Wild Card Residence, ICI-CCN Montpellier, with the project ´Celebrate it´ (with Aleksandar Georgiev, Dario Barreto Damas, Zhana Pencheva).

She curated the festival, In an act of weaving (2022), which began with dance performances, installations, video works, workshops, and choreographic interventions, and continued throughout the year with podcasts and book publications. This is the third festival she has curated (Practising Transitions Festival (2016) at Wip Konsthall, Rhymes minifestival (2017) at Weld), all of which have invited many artists with performances, open discussions, exhibitions, film screenings, and workshops. She is the initiator and co-creator of SAND Dance Studio in Aspudden, a newly established studio for experimental practices. Furthermore, she has been a supported artist by Weld since 2017.

“The environment Nefeli works in are often spanning over multiple fields through collaboration and organisation. In her artistic work she is dealing with intricacies of performativity,
putting in relation society, politics and the body.” (Anna Koch, Weld, 2018)

“…det finns fortfarande plats för utopier, drömmen om en queer värld som omprövar och omfamnar nya sätt att förhålla sig till den egna kroppen och dess omgivning.(….) Konsten kan bli en väg ut ur det fängelse vi inte ens är medvetna att vi befinner oss i.” (Anna Ångström, SvD för Rhymes of Pleasures, 2017)

EDUCATION

2012-2014  Master Programme in Choreography (DOCH-University of Dance and Circus, Sweden)

2006-2009 Professional Dance School of Despina Grigoriadou

2005-2012 Diploma in Design-Department of Product and Systems Design Engineering-Thesis on Cognitive Science and Choreography

SITE Sweden artist support/ residency program, selected artist for 2019/2020
‘Klein Technique™’, Stockholm University of The Arts, 2024, 7,5 ECTS
‘Performance, Activism and social movements’, Stockholm University, 2024, 7,5 ECTS
‘Performativity and gender’, Professional course on advanced level, Stockholm University, 2016
‘Dramaturgy and Performance analysis’, Stockholm University, 2016
‘Organizing Dicourse’, Konstfack University, 2015
‘Somatic fields: on somatic practices, dance and subjectivation, Doch University, 2014
‘Methods and forms of writing in relation to artistic practices’, Doch University 2014
Kinitiras Choreography Lab at Kinitiras Residency Center, 3 months, 2012
‘Simpraxi’ Choreography Lab, Afroditi Vervenioti, Orestis Tanis, 5 months, 2010
ChoreoLab at Kinitiras Studio, Antigoni Gira, 3 months, 2009

​OWN WORK (sample)

Weavers, performance and ‘In an act of weaving’ festival, Podcasts and book publication, performing and curating, co- production Weld, 2022-2023

Punks Not Dead, performance, Weld, Stenkrossen, Cyklopen, SITE Specific Festival, Dansmässan/ Hallen, 2019-2020

‘The Art of Laboring'(TAoL) performance,Weld, Kinitiras, Artten, Nov 2018-2019
TAoL kids playground’, performance for kids 1-3 years old, Weld, Nov 2018

‘Rhymes of Pleasure’ (RoP) performance, Weld, 2017, Michalis Cacoyiannis Foundation, Kino Kultura, 2019
‘Rhymes’ mini-festival, 5-10 June 2017, Weld

‘Inextricably Intertwined’ performance, Fest Happening Festival, Co-existing program, Kino Kultura, Skopje, 2016
‘Pracrising Transitions’ Festival, WIP Konsthall, curating- performing, Årstaberg- Stockholm

‘CFT (Circuit Failure Transition)’ performance, MDT Theater,2014

‘Breathing Vibration’ performance at Basement, Forum Theater, in collaboration with Sandro Amaral and Thiago Granato-Basement context, 2013

‘Breathe it out’ performance, Festival Montpellier danse, ENSAD (Ecole nationale supérieure d’art dramatique), France
‘Deviation’ performance, Simpraxi Choreography Lab, KR Center

‘Empty Space’ performance, PDS of Despoina Grigoriadou, Akropol Theater, 2009

WORK AS PERFORMER (sample)

‘I Am Ballet’ duet performance, Sebastian Lingserius, Weld, Uppsala Konstmuseum, Reginateater, 2024

‘POLY’ duet performance, Sebastian Lingserius, MDT, Balettakademien, Kino Kultura, Stenkrossen, 2018-9

‘Celebrate it’ performance, as part of Life Long Burning Wild Card Residency program, together with Aleksandar Georgiev, Dario Barreto Damas, Zhana Pencheva, ICI­-CCN Institut Chorégraphique International, Montpellier, 2017.

‘DANCER’ duet performance, Sebastian Lingserius, MDT, Nordlys P-Noise festival (Philippines), Inkonst, Danscentrum, Balettakademien, Michalis Cacoyiannis Foundation, Kinitiras (Athens), 2016-2019

‘Construction worker’, Johan Lundin, Artten as part of Kulturnatt Stockholm,2016
Co-existing Lab presentation, Co-existing program, Kino Kultura Skopje, 2016

‘Haligh/a lie’, Caroline Byström, Dansmässan-Riksteatern och Danscentrum, 2015

‘Sapiens Zoo’ show, Quim Giron, Choreographic/dance consultancy, Subtopia

‘Handstand Forest’, Mikael Kristiansen, Choreographic/dance consultancy, Cirkus Cirkör, 2015
‘When you don’t even care to doubt’, Aleksandar Georgiev, MDT Theater, 2014

‘Forest’ performance with Robert Steijn at Weld theatre, Sweden, 2013
‘Choise’ performance of nE! dance company at Kinisi Mavili, Empros theater, 2012

Book publication

‘In an act of weaving’ book, Coordinator, initiator: Nefeli Oikonomou, Participating artists: Marcus Baldemar, Nefeli Oikonomou, Paloma Madrid, Sandy Harry Ceesay, Sebastian Lingserius, Ludmila Christeseva, ISBN 978-91-7565-864-3

PROFESSIONAL TRAINING/WORKSHOPS

Paz Rojo, Jefta van Dinther, Litó Walkey, Myriam Van Imschoot, Noemi Salamon Robert Steijn, Jennifer Lacey, Andre Lepecki, Efva Lilja, Rasmus Ölme, Kattrin Deufert and Thomas Plischke, Laura Aris Alvarez, Kristin Greco, Manuel Pelmus, Maya Lipsker, Thiago Granato, Sandro Amaral, Frey Faust, Benno Voorham, Linda Kapetanea & Jozef Frucek

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Creation of Sand Dansskola (2023-present), dance school for different levels, together with collaborator Sebastian Lingserius

Contemporary dance teaching, professional level, at Danscentrum /Stockholm and Danscentrum Väst/Gothenburg, Sweden

Ballet and contemporary dance teaching at Step in Dansstudio, Sthlm Barndansskola, Jam Dansstudio, Sweden

Contemporary dance teaching, Wrong Movement Dance Organization, Athens

Contemporary dance and acrobatics, School of Aerial Acrobatics and Dance, Athens

Ballet dance teaching in the Model dance school of Katerina Rodiou, Athens

Creative dance teaching in the dance school of Sofia Siouri, Athens

Creative and ballet dance teaching in the dance school of Susan-Durant Mixalaki, Siros

Assistant teacher at the public school of Marousi and the dance school of Anna and Spiridoula Daskalou

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