Jon Ole Olstad
CONTEMPORARY - NORWAY / USA
Jon Ole Olstad started dancing at the age of 16 and took his first ballet class when auditioning for a high school dance department. He quickly realized dancing was his big passion and that he would do anything to make his dream of becoming a professional dancer come true. Later he was accepted into the National Academy of the Arts in Oslo, and graduated with a bachelor 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. He has worked with choreographers such as Paul Lighfoot and Sol Leon, Johan Inger, Hofesh Shechter, Marco Goecke, Alexander Ekman, Jiri Kylian, Mehdi Walerski and Crystal Pite.
His own choreographic work has participated in several festival, venues and choreography competition like Cross Connection Choreography Competition in Copenhagen and Stockholm Dance Film Festival.
In 2015 he was awarded 1. Prize in the prestigious competition, International Solo- Tanz Festival in Stuttgart. With his solo “and we already knew the names” he was awarded 1.Prize in Dance and 1.Prize in the Choreography category.
He started teaching in 2009 and has a huge passion for sharing his knowledge and the love of dance. He has taught and choreographed at numerous colleges, studios, intensives and companies around All over Europe and The U.S such as Lines Ballet, Gallim Dance, Ballet Hispánico, Juilliard, NYU- Tisch, Marymount Manhattan University, Alvin Ailey School, Edge PAC, Movement Lifestyle, Millenium Dance Complex, Opificio Movimento, Peridance and Broadway Dance Center.
Jon is currently living in New York City where he keeps developing his teaching, choreographic work and dancing with different choreographers and crossover projects with film and photo.