From a young age, Anya Saugstad had a deep passion for creation and was always making something. Growing up on Bowen Island provided her with mental and physical space to explore her imagination and cultivate her creativity.
At the age of nine, Anya began her dance career at ArtsUmbrella, where she discovered her love for dance and drew inspiration for choreography by learning from choreographers and teachers from around the world. Much of her love for choreographing developed through improvisation. She later pursued a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance at Simon Fraser University while spending her summers at The San Francisco Conservatory of Dance. At SFCD, she was introduced to artists who greatly influenced her career and drive.
SFU offered Anya the time and space to develop her choreographic voice and engage with artists from outside her discipline, fostering her exploration of collaboration and creation. Since then, she has embraced freelancing, establishing her own company, choreographing works, and dancing in the projects of others. She has been fortunate to work on numerous projects as a dancer with Vanessa Goodman / Action at a Distance.
Over the past year, Anya has been building a company, Furious Grace Dance Theatre (originally Judith Garay’s company, Dancers Dancing, which was generously passed to her). She has had the opportunity to create commissions for companies such as Ballet Edmonton, ArtsUmbrella, Lamon Dance, Coastal City Ballet, Method Dance, and Performance Research Project. Her work has been presented throughout British Columbia, in Edmonton, Toronto, and Montreal.
***
Which neighbourhood are you in?
I live in Hastings Sunrise. I love the neighbourhood and community of this area, how many artists and creative people are around, all the cats, gardens, and the quiet.
What do you do?
I am a dance artist and choreographer. I mainly create live ensemble performances both in theaters and outdoors with my company Furious Grace Dance Theatre and create commissions for other companies across Canada as a guest artist. I am also a dancer and dance for live works and on screen.
What are you currently working on?
Recently, I have been working on a live performance called ‘Paper Mountains’. This full-length work is based on the quote “The forest dies and dies and dies again, and so it lives” and is about emergence, regrowth, and evolution.
Where can we find your work?
You can stay updated with studio showings and other shows coming up on Instagram or my website.
