Artist Spotlight - Erika O'Neill
Director, Choreographer and Producer Erika O’Neill.
Throughout the years we’ve met incredible people within the dance film community. We have decided to do an interview series to spotlight these individuals!
Erika O’Neill is a director, choreographer, and producer based out of the small village of Årsunda in Mideast Sweden. Erika was the producer, writer, co-director & choreographer for the film “A Part” which was an official selection of our 2021 film fest!
What are three words that describe you as an artist?
Flowing, Emotional, Juicy.
How did you get into dance filmmaking?
As a kid, my father showed me Gene Kelly’s musical films, all of them from the old classic ‘Singing in the Rain’ to ‘The Pirate’. I guess that’s where it all started. And after breaking one too many of my mother’s porcelain vases while trying to interpret Kelly’s moves in the living room, my parents placed me in a dance school. I just love dance on film and it’s the best way of spreading dance and inspiring people all over the world.
During my years of dancing professionally, I have always loved working with film. I love being on a set and getting creative in ways you can’t be on a regular stage. The creative process of making a dance film is really something special. And I like to describe it as creating a painting, a piece of art that you can watch over and over again and keep for the rest of your life. Don’t get me wrong I love working on stage as well but when working with film you can give your audience your exact idea and it’s in many ways easier to give light to your story.
During the pandemic, I suddenly had a lot of spare time to create - but as we all know it, no live audience. As a choreographer, dancer, and dance teacher this was a really hard time for me as I had no work opportunities and all my dance classes got canceled. In April 2020 I received a scholarship for 2000 euros to create a piece about the Covid 19 situation and I realized that dance film was the best way to reach an audience. I had worked with Simon Hjortek before by creating music videos and I really love his artistry. I wanted him to give his unique artistic style to the film because, from my point of view, he was the only one who could make this idea as feverish, emotional, and epic as I wanted it to be. I presented the idea of “A Part” for Simon and together with the young dancers, we created something very special and unique for the Swedish dance film scene.
What inspires you as an artist?
I’m born and raised in a small village far out on the Swedish county side, and I still live very close to nature. I guess the forest and its surroundings always has inspired me in many ways. It’s where I go to seek inspiration and it’s the only place I can totally leave the outside world for a bit. (The only place I can get my ADHD brain to be totally silent) As long as I can remember I have always turned to the forest to seek inspiration and creativity. As a little girl, I always danced barefoot in a special grove close to a small water stream, a place I still return to whenever I’m in need of inspiration. My daydreaming grove. I have always loved storytelling in different ways and as an adult, I love to recreate stories through dance. I guess I’m very driven to create dance and art on topics that might not be the typical `dance subject´. I want to give my audience a reality check while enjoying something beautiful. Tell a story with pure fire and heart and create movement based on real stories from real-life events.
Your favorite quote?
If your dreams don’t scare you, they are not big enough.
You can learn more about Erika on her website https://erikaoneill.com/
Instagram @_irrbloss_
Dancer: Erika O'Neill
Images provided by Erika O'Neill.