Jon Ole Olstad

Jon Ole Olstad started dancing at 16, realizing it to be his greatest passion. He was accepted into the National Academy of the Arts in Oslo, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in 2009. After college, he was hired for the tour project “Kamuyot”, a collaboration between the Swedish Riksteatern, and Batsheva Dance Company, led by artistic director Ohad Naharin. In 2013, Jon Ole was hired by Nederlands Dans Theater 1, led by artistic director Paul Lightfoot. In NDT1, he had the honor of working with Paul Lighfoot and Sol Leon, Johan Inger, Hofesh Shechter, Marco Goecke, Alexander Ekman, Jiri Kylian, Mehdi Walerski and Crystal Pite. His own choreography has been presented at several festivals, venues and choreographic competitions; Cross Connection Choreography Competition in Copenhagen, Stockholm Dance Film Festival, and Gala of the stars in Florida. 
In 2015, he presented his solo “and we already knew the names” at the prestigious International Solo Tanz Competition in Stuttgart. He was awarded 1st prize dancer and 1st prize choreographer and later toured the solo in Germany, Brazil and NYC. In 2019 he was awarded the production prize from Ballet Basel at the 33.rd International Hannover Choreography competition with the solo’ Finally it’s everything’.
 In 2009, he started teaching to share his knowledge and his love of dance. He has taught and choreographed at numerous colleges: Juilliard, The Palucca School, Boston Conservatory NYU-Tisch, Marymount Manhattan College, Acosta Danza in Cuba, Khio- Oslo, Balletakademien in Stockholm, Alvin Ailey and Alonzo King Lines Ballet. He has given company classes to Gallim Dance, Ballet Nurnberg, Ballet Pforozheim, Carte Blanche Dance Company, Ballet Hispanico, BODYTRAFFIC and Theater Regensburg Tanz. He is a highly sought out teacher and has been on Faculty for acclaimed professional Dance studios, such as Edge PAC, Movement Lifestyle, Millenium Dance Complex, Peridance, Broadway Dance Center, Gibney Dance, ArtÉmotion Summer Intensive- Ballet West, Joffrey Ballet Intensive, World Dance Movement Festival in Italy and NUOVA OFFICINA DELLA DANZA.

CLASS DESCRIPTION
This contemporary class begins with a structured technical warm up followed by a choreographic phrase. The warm up draws inspiration from various contemporary forms, as well as elements from jazz dance, classical ballet, and the GYROKINESIS® method. It develops deep spinal awareness and mobility through the following elements: high release, contraction, spiral, side-bend, wave, undulation, and flat back in relationship to a powerful, agile, and lengthened port de bras. The legwork consists of precise classical ballet footwork and contemporary leg vocabulary, which inspires the dancer to research how the legs are grounded into the earth and articulated while the torso is free and expressive. The warm up is there to prepare the dancer for a choreographic phrase that practices different dynamics, qualities, intricate coordination, musicality, and reaching beyond one’s limits to gain a new sense of expansion. The movements encourage the dancer to explore them from an emotional perspective. The aim is to learn to trust oneself as a human being and artist in order for the dancing to be done with playful control and vulnerable abandonment.