links
contact:
antoniasophiesteffens@gmail.com
IG: newborin_
education:
2023-2025: MfA, Planetary Poetics, Sandberg Institute, Amsterdam
2021-2023: Acupuncture, TCM at Shenzhou Open University
2014-2018: BA Choreography at SNDO Amsterdam, AHK
2012-2014: BA Dance at ZZT Cologne, HfMT Köln
internships:
2012: PACT Zollverein, Essen, publicity
2011-2012: Platform 3, Saarbrücken under the direction of Seraina Stoffel, LAG Saarland
scholarships:
2016: Dance Web Scholarship holder, Impulstanz Vienna
2016-2018: Schuurman Schimmel, Stichting van Outeren Scholarship holder
2017-2018: Stichting Bekker la Bastide Fonds Scholarship holder
nominations:
2018: Nomination for the Moving Forward Trajectory with "Metamotion for 270degrees"
works:
2023-24: "CC you", Springwounds, Kunstkapel Amsterdam, 4Bid Gallery, Sandberg Institute
2020: An Attendee, Veem House for Performance, NBprojects
2019-22: Spinner, in collaboration with Sigrid Stigsdatter, coproduced by AFK Amsterdam, Dansmakers, Veem House for Performance, 8Athens, Flam Festival, New Fears Gallery Berlin
2018: 270degrees, Fraslab production at Frascati Theatre
2018: Metamotion for 270degrees, SNDO, Frascati Theatre
2017: Night Flying Project, SNDO, Veem House for Performance
commissions:
2024: Archival work on work of Pauline de Groot, Nederlandse Dansdagen, SNDO, Fransien van der Putt
2023: "Line, loosing Line", archival work, comissioned by Fransien van der Putt
selected residencies:
2025: Lawayakacurrent, Atacama, Chile
March/April 2022: Workspace Brussels
January 2022: The PickUp Club Amsterdam
Jan/February 2021: Bau Studios Amsterdam during Come Together Festival
February 2020: Veem House for Performance, Amsterdam
January 2020: 8Athens, critical Laboratory for Arts and Politics
July 2019: ResiDance, Amsterdam
September 2019: Resident at de Ruimte, Festival Why Not
March/April 2019: New Adventures Residency, Dansmakers Amsterdam
November 2018: Fraslab, Frascati Theatre Amsterdam
September 2018: Choreographic Dialogues, Pact Zollverein Amsterdam
teachings:
2023
Movement reserach, WeliveHere, Summer academy, NB projects, BAU Amsterdam
Movement research, SNDO intensive course, AHK Amsterdam
2024
Movement Research at SNDO, BA choreography, year 2 +3 , Amsterdamse Hogeschool voor de Kunsten
Movement Research at ISAC, BA and MA choreography, Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts, Ecole supérieure des Arts, Brussels
Body awareness at BA 1st year, theatre pedagogy, university of applied science Osnabrück
Movement Research at SNDO, BA choreography, 1st Year, Amsterdamse Hogeschool voor de Kunsten
There are more than 50 subspecies of the Australian jumping spider. Each one of them has their own unique dance routing, performed by the male spider under the judgmental eyes of its female chosen one. The female assesses the dancer and chooses to be either mounted, simply walks away with disinterest, or kills and eats the male dancing lover. At times, she even chooses for a combination of those scenarios. It is assumed that the dancing behaviour is genetically hardwired, rather than “learned”, making the jumping spider a natural born dancer. Certain studies show that female spiders of the jumping spider species Portia however also dance. They do so not in order to seduce their potential mates, but instead mimic the males dancing routine, to protect their nest or wear off other spiders. So while the male spider pursues dancing as a flamboyant act of seduction, with the hope to inseminate the female at the risk of life, the female spider learns, masters and even perfects the males dance routines, using improvisation and trick movements, like unexpected pauses in the routine to ensure her peace of mind, her own life and/or that of her offspring. Wether for war fare or intercourse, dancing comes into play as a decisive moment in a spiders life. A tool, a weapon, a communicator, a trickery and a mastery. While the male spider dancing its courtship dance has been plentiful documented, the female spiders dancing behaviour and how it came to do so is still subject to debate. May it be perhaps, that the female spider is the ultimate dancer in disguise? Is it not her who has the final saying over the life and death performance of her potential lover? And isn’t it though her perfecting the choreographic steps, enabling her to protect her own offspring, that she is elevated into being ultimate judge over wether his hardwired dance that she’s ought to pass on to the following generation, is even worthy enough of her own craftsmanship, and the way how she reverse engineered his dance moves to turn them from a flirt into a fight?
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