Emma Östlund (she/her) is a contemporary dancer, performer, choreographer, actress, artistic director and multitasker from Stockholm, Sweden
Emma has over 18 years of dance experience and is mainly active within the dance fields of Sweden, Denmark and Germany. Since graduating in 2023, she has done work with Malmö Opera, Vitlycke Center for Performing Arts, MeerKat Dance Theatre, MuteComp Physical Theatre, La Macana and Compass Dance as well as being co-founder and artistic director of the Swedish dance and performance company Vittra Dance Collective. Emma's work is heavily influenced by physical theater, different acting techniques and contemporary dance. Some of the notable teachers and choreographers she has worked with are Liza Penkova, Niv Melamed, Eduardo Torroja & Elena Fokina (Ultima Vez), Regina Van Berkel, Michael Langeneckert and Johannes Wieland.
As an artist, she enjoys playing with musicality, playfulness and the potential of the moment. She likes to dive into different ideas and mindsets through embodiment, exploring various psychological and physiological states. For her, dance is about creating an immersive reality through the means of the body and the psyche, and to be open and curious with where that reality can take her. Emma enjoys playing with imagery that reflect and deal with themes of everyday life as well as, and in contrast with, ideas of escapism.
Emma´s current artistic interests are to explore the border between delusion, reality and fantasy, often with a hint of irony and comedic touch. Aside from dance movement, Emma has a huge interest for theatre and comedy, and enjoys playing with different story-telling elements in her work. Some of her biggest inspirations are Johannes Wieland and Silvia Gribaudi.