Curriculum Vitae
Efva Lilja
Gammelbodavägen 14A
139 71 Stavsnäs
SWEDEN
+46 70 6353056
info@efvalilja.se
www.efvalilja.se
This CV is written in chronological order. Lists of my works are presented in my
online archive. The Swedish Royal
Library has an archive on my work 1979-2020, acc.nr 2009/20. The archive contains photos, reviews,
articles, project descriptions, scores, texts and drawings as well as the full
documentation of my company E.L.D. 1985–2005.
Download Efva Lilja's CV as pdf
Education
Work as a Dancer
Art Works
Awards and grants
Artistic Research Projects
Pedagogical Experiences
Position of Trust
Lectures
Writings
Leadership
Language skills
Drivers licence
Archive
More information
List of works
Exhibitions
Documentaries
Bibliography
Education
I was born 1956 in Huskvarna, Sweden. I studied dance at Jönköpings
Gymnastikförening and Vätterstads balettförening from 1970. Active
cross-country skier 1968–1971. Left home in 1972 to continue dance studies in
Malmö 1972-1973 and Örebro 1973–1974, focussing on jazz dance, classical
ballet and rhythmic dance. Started teaching and making choreography for
student performances and theatres in 1974. First contract as a dancer in 1975.
Trained at the National School of Dance in courses for pedagogues in ballet,
dance and mime during 1975–77. Professional dance training at the Ballet
Academy in 1976–77 and parallel to that the NBV Theatre School. Was awarded
several grants during this period.
In 1977 I began to study dance-pedagogy at The National School of Dance
(renamed The University of Dance 1978). I graduated in 1980. During this
period I also received grants for two months of ballet, syllabus and
repertoire studies at The Royal Academy of Dance, London 1978, one month at
The International Ballet Seminar in Copenhagen 1979, one month of composition
studies at Le Stage Grenoble 1979, as well as summer courses in Cunningham
techniques by Jeff Slayton, Albert Reid, Meg Harper, Miriam Berns and Karen
Levey, 1975–1979. The education at the University of Dance included dancers
training and choreography.
During these years of formal training I was also performing as a free-lance
dancer and completed my practice as a dance pedagogue at the Royal Opera
Ballet School. I engaged in the dance community as a board member of
Danscentrum and represented the students in the board of The University of
Dance.
In 1980 I was awarded an artist grant from the Sweden-America Foundation,
which I used for training at Merce Cunningham Foundation in New York. I took
company classes there, with Viola Farber as well as ballet classes with Zena
Romett and Haynes Owens, 1980–1981. For three months I also studied
choreography at Columbia University with Meredith Monk, Anna Sokolov,
Margareth Beals among others and I studied choreography with Robert Dunn.
During this very intensive year I was engaged in several performances and I
started writing about dance.
Training has continued throughout my career. During the 80’s I took courses
for different European choreographers. At The University of Film, Radio,
Television and Theatre I studied Dance for the Screen in 1988 and 1989. My
training has also involved a number of seminars and lectures in philosophy,
theories of creativity and sociology as well as leadership. I regard artistic
work and life itself as a continuous learning process.
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Work as a Dancer
My first experience as a dancer was during my early study years. The very
first performances were two pieces by choreographer Aase Dyrting. It was a
ballet piece, En afton i Wien (An Evening in Vienna) in cooperation with the
Norrköping Symphonic Orchestra and historic dances, En dag i medeltiden (A Day
in Medieval Times), both pieces were toured by Svenska Rikskonserter in 1975.
There after I performed in Vara, Falköping, Stockholm and in London where I
danced Valse de Fleur, choreographed by Ronald Emblen in 1978. Toward the end
of the 70’s, I also took part in more experimental performances in Stockholm.
In 1979 I was engaged by choreographer Margaretha Åsberg in her company
Pyramiderna. During a very dynamic period, I appeared in the following works:
Pyramiderna 1979 and 1981, Fragment av en kub 1980, TER(R) 1881, Organon 1982,
Gaturepetitioner, Rörelseinstallationer, Ryskt Avant Garde, Down Stairs 1983,
Arsinoe 1984 och Aniara at the Royal Opera in 1985, which was our last
collaboration. The company performed mainly in Stockholm, with guest
performances in Oslo, Helsinki, Caen and Aix en Provence in France.
In New York 1980–1981 I danced in works by choreographer Richard Schlossbach,
Death Hunted, The Open Eye Theatre, studio performances by Susana Hayman
Schaffey and a piece for the Swedish Church by Mats Isaksson. I also did spend
a month with Jeff Slayton and his company in Los Angeles. When I came back to
Sweden, I took part in such performances as: Floden av glas, a multimedia
piece by Composer Åke Parmerud, choreographed by Irene Hultman, Kerstin
Lindgren and myself 1981, Åå Gash by Irene Hultman 1983, Lammas by Per
Johnsson 1985 and Frun på golvet by Björn Elison 1985.
During my first ten years as a dancer I appeared in a number of TV
productions and danced in my own works, touring internationally.
I participated in three movies: Amorosa, directed by Mai Zetterling, 1985,
Kvinnorna på Taket by Carl Gustav Nykvist, 1988 and Dansen by Jan Troell,
1996.
My own company E.L.D. was founded in 1985 and since then I’ve mainly danced
in my own productions, in later years more sparsely and only in solo
performances. In the year 2000 I made my one and only appearance in my
home-town, Huskvarna. I have on occasion since 2001 performed as a soloist in
Paris, Moscow, Kiev, Mumbai, Bilbao, Athens, Visby, Stockholm and other
international venues.
A comprehensive description of me as a dancer and choreographer in the 80’s
was authored by Swedish Academy member Horace Engdahl in an article for the
magazine Danstidningen: Efva Liljas väg, 1990. I have written about dance in
Sweden during the period from the late 70’s until the early 90’s in an article
called ”Ett fredat rum”, Fylkingens jubileumsbok, 1993. My dancing career
during the 80’s–90’s is broadly described in articles and reviews available in
the archive of the Swedish Royal Library, acc.nr 2009/20 and in my own
online archive.
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Art Works
First and foremost I am a choreographer. I do performances, site specifics,
exhibitions, installations, films and I write books. My artworks have been
performed in more than forty countries and my films in yet others. Most
of the works have been documented on video or recorded by Swedish Television.
There are a number of articles, essays and dissertations written on my art.
There is a chronological list of written documents in my
online archive.
There is also other information on my work with photos and video excerpts
available under Artwork.
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Awards and Grants
I have received a number of awards, grants and other recognition for my contribution
to the art of dance. A complete list is available in my
online archive.
My Company E.L.D. was supported by The Arts Council 1983–2005, by The
City of Stockholm 1988–2005 and by The Region of Stockholm
1990–2005. As an independent choreographer I am continuously supported
by The Arts Council and The Arts Grant Committee.
I have had research grants and financing from The Swedish Research Council
2003–2006 Centrum för barnkulturforskning in Växjö 1998,
The University of Dance in 1999, 2000, 2002 and 2003 and from the Polar
Research Institute 2002.
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Artistic Research Projects
I regard my artistic work as a continuing study on how meaning is created in
human communication and how insights gained from these studies can be applied
in the choreographic process. I do research projects in my artistic practice,
document and present in specific fora as well as to a wider audience.
E.L.D. carried out development works on artistic processes and on
organization/leadership with particular regard to the artistic process. The
lecture series ÖM 1997–2004 helped develop a state-of-the-world analysis with
invited guests such as philosopher Bengt Brylde, pataphysicist Frans
Lettenström, autor Göran Hägg, brain researcher Matti Bergström, visual artist
Jan Håfström, art professor Jörgen Svensson, composer Ivo Nilsson, dance
scholar Cecilia Olsson and choreographers Björn Elison, Jens Bjaerregaard,
Virphi Pahkinen among others.
The research project: Fittjaprojektet 1996–1999 involved a
study of children aged 13–16 and their dancing with particular regards to how
meaning is created through movements of the every day life.
Det Brinnande 1998 was a project aimed at developing
methodologies for applying the art of dance in the compulsory school system.
Danskonst i språkets utmarker 2000 was a project presenting
ideas about the linguistic dimension of movements.
The Art of Dance in a Frozen Landscape 2002. Was a
three-year study of cultural factors and their impact on movement and gestures
in the extreme cold of the Arctic. The research was carried out during an
arctic expedition, Arctic Ocean 2002, Swedish Polar Research Institute, when I
was able to work in the vicinity of the North Pole for seven weeks. The
project was documented on video and in text, and it resulted in several
artworks for the stage, for Swedish Television, and in a book.
Movement as the Memory of the Body 2003–2006 was a project
carried out within the realm of my professorship in conjunction with other
artists and researchers from areas such as social gerontology, sociology,
philosophy and economics. The project was documented in a book with additional
DVDs, and presented through several performances.
My art works has been in focus for other researchers. There is a list on
these projects in my online archive.
I was engaged by the Norwegian ”Stipendprogrammet for kunstnerisk
utviklingsarbeid” (a PhD programme for artistic research) as Professor and
Supervisor 2003–2006. During the same period I was engaged as Professor and
Supervisor in Artistic research at TEAK, Teaterhögskolan in Helsinki.
2005–2006 I worked as a choreographer in the artistic research project Holds
No Memory, led by Choreographer/lecturer Ana Sanchez Colberg in London.
2008–2010 I was a member of a working group at the Ministry of Education and
Research with the commission to work out strategies for an artistic research
school in the arts, a new exam: Doctor of Art as well as new research
strategies for the arts.
2010–2013 I was in the board of Konstnärliga forskarskolan, the Swedish
national research school in the arts.
2009–2014 I was a member of International Board, Program for Arts-based
Research, PEEK, Austrian Science Found FWF.
2010–2014 I was a member of the board of ELIA, European League of Institutes
in the Arts were I among other things work on artistic research and research
education, specially within the project Artesnet Strand 3 and SHARE.
2013–2015 I was in the board of SAR, Society for Artistic Research.
2014–2015 I was the Expert Advisor of Artistic research at the Ministry of
Education and Research in Sweden.
2015 The Norwegien Government appointed me member of the board of
The Fellowship in the Arts Programme.
2015 I was a member of the International Scientific Board of the Academy of
Fine Arts in Lisbon.
2015–2017 The Danish Government has appointed me Chair of the board for
Artistic research.
The assignments I have or have had within the field of Artistic research are
numerous. Beside the above mentioned, I have worked for the Swedish National
Agency for Higher Education on several tasks 2007–2012, for RUT2 on funding
systems 2006–2007, Report of the Swedish Committee of Inquiry on Cultural
Policy, on education and research 2008 among others. For a complete list, see
Commissions of Trust.
I am continuously engaged as a lecturer to present my research, my thoughts
and theories on artistic research around the world. During the last ten years
I have presented 28 keynotes and 13 papers on conferences and I’ve presented a
number of articles on the subject in Swedish, English, Greek and German. The
articles have been published by ZHDK in Zürich, University of Patras, In
Formation, Universidade de Lisboa, Intellectual Press, SAR, DOCH and the
Swedish research Council to mention a few.
I have lectured on artistic research at Dancelab in the Haag, at ZHDK in
Zürich, TEAK in Helsinki, Sensuous Knowledge in Bergen, The Place in London,
Universities in Reykjavik, Nottingham, Winchester, Tibilisi and more, at the
Orpheus Institute in Ghent, at the Art University KUG in Ghent, Conservatoire
Cherubini in Florence and Frankfurt Academy of the Arts and Frankfurt Lab
(University of Giessen) to mention a few internationally. In the Swedish
context at the universities of Gothenburg, Umeå, Växjö, Luleå, at the
university of Opera, of Fine Arts, Music (Malmö) at SADA, DOCH, Ballet Academy
and more...
I’ve written a book on artistic research, published by the Swedish Government
2015: Art, Research, Empowerment.
More on my research and work in the area of artistic development under
Research.
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Pedagogical Experiences
I do not particularly wish to separate pedagogy as an area apart from my
other activities. For me it is a natural part of the process that always takes
place between choreographer-dancer, teacher-student, artist-artist and other
forms of human intercourse. I see pedagogical skills as a developed ability to
communicate and teaching methods as part of the artisanship of dancing.
Here is a short resume of my activities in teaching:
Courses for various organizations (contemporary dance and ballet): UNF,
ÖAGEA, Hagaby and Athena in Örebro, Jönköpings gymnastikförening, 1974, NBV
Skaraborg 1975–1976, Söders barnteater, 1977-1978, Vätterstads balettförening,
1983, Kulturama and Studiefrämjandet in Stockholm, 1981-1983.
Free standing courses for actors, directors and students of theatre.
Workshops at Jönköpings Läns Teater, 1982, Studiefrämjandets Teaterlinje in
Stockholm, 1982, NBV’s theatre festival at Wendelsberg Folkhögskola in
Mölnlycke, 1982–1984, and dance technique, movement, analysis and
improvisation at NBV’s 3 year theatre school in Stockholm, 1981–1987, movement
as a scenic technique with actors from the Swedish Television Stockholm and
actors from the Gothenburg City Theatre, 1991.
Assistent to Birgit Grefveberg at the Royal Opera Ballet, 1979. Lecturer in
contemporary dance at University of Dance, 1982–1984, 1986–1987. Guest teacher
of contemporary dance and ballet at the Fine Arts and Cultural Academy in
Bergen, Norway 1983. Contemporary dance and composition, KODA 7 Stockholm,
1986 and TBV Jönköping 1987.
Since the mid-70’s I have, parallel to my artistic work for the stage,
engaged myself in activities for children, mainly 12–16 years of age. This has
taken the form of workshops, artistic development projects and choreographic
works. In these cases I do not teach dance techniques, but work to establish
an understanding of art among the children, making them distinguish movement
as a linguistic act – to make dance.
In Paris I have given courses in dance technique and composition at the
Menagerie de Verre for professional dancers and choreographers, 1993.
I have on occasion been a guest lecturer at DOCH, University of Dance and
Circus, teaching composition to choreography students in the 80’s and the 90’s
and more regularly lectured also to the dance pedagogy students. In 2003 I was
appointed Professor of choreography. During 2004-2005 I have been Visiting Professor in
modern dance and composition at The Moscow Theatre School of Dramatic Art.
During tours around the world, I regularly gave master classes and
choreography workshops. While touring with ELD, I also gave company classes.
Position of Trust
A complete list of my commissions of trust at various public bodies in the cultural sphere can be found in my online archive.
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Lectures
or staging the spoken word
I lecture nationally and internationally, always searching for words to
develop the understanding of art. Lately I have started staging my lectures as
events, thereby reaching a wider audience.
These events have been commissioned by schools, companies, event bureaus,
University of Dance, The Royal University College of Fine Art, University of
Architecture/KTH, University of Stockholm, University of Umeå, University of
Karlstad, University of Gothenburg, The National Art Council, The National
Research Council, The Ministry of Culture, The Union of Municipalities,
Riksteatern, Assitej, Save the Children, as well as theatres and producers of
musical events in Sweden.
Internationally I have been engaged by The Guggenheim Bilbao Museum in Spain,
Centre Culturel Suedoise in Paris, METU University of Ankara in Turkey, The
International Organisation for Cultural Relations in Mumbai, India, Anatoly
Vasiliev School of Dramatic Art in Moscow, Arbis in Helsinki, Finland, Dansens
Hus in Copenhagen, NOFOD, University of Art in Oslo and Bergen, The Art
Academy in Reykjavik, Moscow State University, American College in Athens,
Universities in Winchester, Leeds and Nottingham, University in Auckland, as
well as at many international scientific conferences and organisations as
Rencontre, IETM, ELIA and others.
Most of my lectures and seminars are listed chronologically in my online archive.
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Writings
I have published fourteen books and contributed to a number of others. I have been
published in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Switzerland, England, Germany, France,
Greece and India. Some of my books and articles have been translated into
Russian, French, German, English, Japanese and Greek. A full bibliography is to be found
last in this document.
Leadership
Throughout the years I have received praise and a lot of attention for my
leadership and for my ability to organize and develop methods serving artistic
work, research and production. I give lectures on leadership. I have received
awards for my leadership.
I was the Artistic Director of E.L.D. 1985–2005.
I was the Vice-Chancellor of DOCH, The University of Dance and Circus in
Stockholm 2006–2013.
I was the Artistic Director of Dansehallerne, Copenhagen, Denmark 2016–2019.
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Language skills
Besides Swedish, I read, write and speak English. I have elementary knowledge of French.
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Drivers licence
I have drivers licence for cars, motorbikes and trucks.
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Archive
The Swedish Royal Library has an archive on my work 1979-2020, acc.nr 2009/20.
The archive contains photos, reviews, articles, project descriptions,
scores, texts and drawings as well as the full documentation of my company
E.L.D. 1985–2005.
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Additional Information
Additional information is found on this website, in the National Encyclopedia
as well as at The Swedish Royal Library.
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List of works
A list of works is found under Artwork.
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Exhibitions
A list of exhibitions is found under Archive.
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Documentaries
A list of documentary films is found under Archive.
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Bibliography
I am a member of The Writers Union since 2009. My bibliography is found under Archive.
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