Anya Allegra Saugstad
/ Furious Grace Dance Theatre
GUEST CHOREOGRAPHER FOR SFU
Creating a new work for Simon Fraser University Fall 2025.
Biography
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Anya Allegra Saugstad is a dancer and choreographer based in Vancouver BC, on the unceded territory of the Sḵwx̱ wú7mesh', Stó:lō and Səlílwətaʔ/ Selilwitulh, and xwməθkwəyə̓ m First Nations.
Anya trained at ArtsUmbrella, and has a BFA in Dance from Simon Fraser University. As a dancer, Anya has toured with Action at a Distance / Vanessa Goodman through the USA, Canada, and Germany performing “Graveyards and Gardens” and “Core/Us” (2021-2023).
Anya Saugstad is the Artistic Director of Furious Grace Dance Theatre, (originally Judith Garay’s company Dancers Dancing). Furious Grace / Anya Saugstad create live collaborative performance works in theaters and outdoors. Anya builds vigorous and physical ensemble choreography to express stories that encompass strength, celebration, and yearning. Her work is often inspired by nature and animals.
Anya has created works for Ballet Edmonton, ArtsUmbrella, LamonDance, Simon Fraser University, Method Dance Company, and Coastal City Ballet. Anya’s work has been presented through The Scotiabank Dance Centre (Dance in Vancouver), Dance Deck (Belle Spirale), Dance West Network, Crimson Coast Dance, The Rotary Center for the Arts, and has had her work presented throughout BC, in Montreal, Edmonton, and Toronto. Anya Saugstad is the recipient of the Iris Garland Emerging Choreographer Award for 2023/24.
ocean roaring
ocean roaring
‘Ocean Roaring’ is a site specific live dance and violin performance that follows the stories of six women on the shore of the ocean at dusk. ‘Ocean Roaring’ was created on the beach in Vancouver BC in 2019, was made into a film in July 2020, and then toured live to Kelowna in 2021. ‘Ocean Roaring’ has been supported by Dance West Network Dance on Tour, The Rotary Centre for the Arts, the Canada Council for the Arts, New Works, and Vines Art Festival. This no tech, environmentally conscious work, focuses on tireless and urgent movement as a means to describe distance and longing between people and the land, and directs attention to the ocean as a scarce and vital resource. It duets the power of women’s bodies dancing with the power of the water.
'Ocean Roaring' was created in Vancouver at the shore of kits beach and first performed at vines art festival in 2019. From there, the work developed into a film that was shared virtually in festivals in 2020 including Vines Art Online Festival, Made in BC, and ArtsStarts. The work was toured live to Kelowna in 2021. This piece has been supported through Canada Council for the Arts, the Rotary Centre for the Arts, Vines Art Festival, and Dance West Network. We are looking for more opportunities to share this work with other bodies of water, communities and audiences.
Photos by: Aaron Hemens
