Jessica Iwanson, (born 21 April 1948 in

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

) is a choreographer and artistic director of Iwanson International School of Contemporary Dance in

Munich, Germany Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

. Since 1974, Jessica Iwanson has lived in Munich, where for more than 30 years she strongly influenced the history of contemporary dance. 2001, she was awarded the medal 'München leuchtet' by the City of Munich for her lifework. Jessica Iwanson is one of the founders of the Choreographic Association of Munich (1987) and the Bavarian Association of Contemporary Dance (1997). Iwanson was brought up in Stockholm, Sweden where she studied at the Stockholm Ballet Academy and met teachers/choreographers like Birgit Cullberg, Kathrine Dunham, Walter Nicks, Warren Spears, and

Alvin Ailey Alvin Ailey Jr. (January 5, 1931 – December 1, 1989) was an American dancer, director, choreographer, and activist who founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT). He created AAADT and its affiliated Alvin Ailey American Dance Cent ...

. 1966/67 she spent 1 year studying at the Martha Graham School in New York where she, among other company dancers, still had

Martha Graham Martha Graham (May 11, 1894 – April 1, 1991) was an American modern dancer, teacher and choreographer, whose style, the Graham technique, reshaped the dance world and is still taught in academies worldwide. Graham danced and taught for over s ...

personally as a teacher. Further studies at the

School brought her to teachers like Denise Jefferson and Milton Meyers. Besides the work with her own company, Iwanson choreographed at numerous state theatres in Scandinavia, was artistic director at 'Riksteatern' in Sweden and director at 'Carte Blanche' the contemporary dance company of Norway (91/92). Best known internationally is her TV-dance-drama 'Nightbirds' (1997), influenced by paintings of Edward Hopper and broadcast in a great number of countries. In 2007 Iwanson, together with her husband Stefan Sixt, started Germany's first foundation for contemporary dance, ' Iwanson-Sixt-Stiftung zeitgenössischer Tanz'. Among others, Ismael Ivo, artistic director of the dance section of the Biennale Venice, is a member of the board. The foundation offers rehearsal space for young choreographers and once a year awards the 'Isadora-Prize' to personalities for their merits within contemporary dance.

External links

Iwanson Schule zeitgenössischer TanzIwanson-Sixt-Stiftung zeitgenössischer Tanz
{{DEFAULTSORT:Iwanson, Jessica 1948 births Living people Artists from Stockholm Swedish choreographers Swedish women choreographers Artists from Munich Swedish expatriates in Germany