Bios
Johanna Hongell-Darsee started to create performances of dance/mime/storytelling in 1986.
She received her education in mime and theater at the Lecoq School in Paris, France and later studied Classical Indian Dance and Mime in Chennai, India from Smt Savithri Jagannatha Rao and Smt Kalanidhi Narayanan. Over the years she has developed a style of performing with elements from mime, theater, and dance, inspired by both these schools as well as by nature and what the stories them selves give.
Before moving here to New Mexico in 2001, she led her own dance and theater company (Theater Bava) in Malmo, Sweden as well as toured throughout Sweden and in Europe, USA and India. She performed at festivals such as Avignon in France, La Batie in Switzerland, Tampere in Finland, Differenta Sensationi in Italy, Theater of Creation in Pennsylvania, USA, Kobenhavn Sommerscene in Denmark, and Dance and Theater festivals in Stockholm, Malmo, Uppsala, Vilhelmina, Falun, Varmland and Skane in Sweden.
Apart from our Storytelling Theater she also gives classes and workshops.
Scott Darsee is a poet, musician, songwriter and painter who spent 16 years in Europe before moving back to the USA.
Parallel to his artistic work he has also worked as a therapist at Ballet companies such as The English National Ballet, the Royal Danish Ballet and Hamburg Ballet. He also taught at the Danish State School of Modern Dance and worked with Theater Bava as a painter.
In our productions he composes and performs the music and he also gives music performances.
The storyteller sits and tells a story with words and gesture. Now if he gets up and starts to move around, does it become theater? And what if he stops talking and just uses a gesture, is it then dance or mime?
For me it is a gliding scale and I like to use it all the way from one end to the other.
I think traditional stories from all cultures have their own life. The characters are not fictional. They actually live in all of us. They are different aspects of our selves and the dancer/storytellers job is to bring them out in the open so that the audience can recognize them and thus hear their own story. The same story might have different meanings to us at different times in our lives or even from day to day. They might also mean different things to a woman, a man or a child.
My grandmother was a puppeteer so I grew up among stories full of wondrous characters. I started working in theater in my teens and continued with that till I felt a need to learn more. My search for an education on how to bring stories to life - not with puppets but with myself as the tool brought me to France and Ecole Jacques Lecoq.
Around the same time I saw a performance of Classical Indian Dance for the first time. Now, there was away of rendering stories with both music, movement and dance. I wanted to learn that.
I was very lucky to find a teacher, Sri Kama Dev, who happened to live in Paris at the time. He was a very inspiring teacher and a great dancer and he also encouraged me to continue my studies in Chennai in India.
There again I was extremely lucky. I got the chance to study with some outstanding teachers, to whom I feel I owe everything I know about the performing arts and also many aspects of every day life.
I studied Bharata Natyam with Srimati Savithri Jagannatha Rao and "Abhinaya" the mimic part of Bharata Natyam with Srimati Kalanidhi Narayanan. I was also fortunate to learn a couple of items from Sri A Janardanan.
RESUME JOHANNA HONGELL-DARSEE
Professional Experience
2001- Present Storytelling Theater Performances in New Mexico
Performer/Director/Teacher
Produced and performed own productions in New Mexico, Colorado and Texas
CD recordings of storytelling
Taught Bharata Natyam - Classical Indian Dance and Storytelling Theater
Performed Indian Dance
Given Lecture demonstrations and Workshops
Radio readings for KNMU and Sweetbird Classics radio programs
2003- Present Freelance Translator and Interpreter for English - Swedish
1986 - 2000 Dance/Theater Company Teater Bava in Malmo, Sweden
Founder, Artistic Director, Dancer, Choreographer, Actor, Director
Produced 20 productions, played at own stage in Malmo and on tour in Sweden and abroad.
Taught Bharata Natyam, Classical Indian Dance, classes and workshops.
Volunteer Work
2001- Present For Storytellers of New Mexico
1st Vice President
Produced Newsletters and Brochures
Performances
Employment
1993-1994 Theatre Spirale in Geneva, Switzerland
Actor/Dancer
Performed in the production Naissaces/Beginnings At Festival of Avignon, France, on tour in Switzerland, Belgium, USA and Finland.
1992 Atelier Recherche Theatre des Origines, in Geneva, Switzerland
Actor/Dancer
Performed in the production Ramayana at Festival de la Batie in Geneva, and on tour in Switzerland
1992 Atelier Recherche Theatre des Origines, in Geneva, Switzerland
Actor/Dancer
Performed in the production Ramayana at Festival de la Batie in Geneva, and on tour in Switzerland
1988 Vuxenskolan in Uppsala, Sweden
Theater teacher
1988 Vuxenskolan in Uppsala, Sweden
Theater teacher
1986 Atelier International de l'Acteur in Paris, France
Actor
Performed in the production "Le Serpent Noir" in Paris
1986 Atelier International de l'Acteur in Paris, France
Actor
Performed in the production "Le Serpent Noir" in Paris
1986 Theatre Kissani in Paris, France
Actor/Dancer
Performed in the production "Le Journal de Norair" in Paris
1986 Theatre Kissani in Paris, France
Actor/Dancer
Performed in the production "Le Journal de Norair" in Paris
1980-1982 Ungdomsteatern in Uppsala, Sweden
Actor/Dancer
Performed in various productions and teaching theater to children
Employment
Education
1987-1999 Pradakshina in Chennai, India
Studies of Bharata Natyam - Classical Indian Dance; Sep -87 - mar-88, Jan -Apr -90, Nov -91 - Mar -92, Jan - Apr -93, Oct -94 - Jan -95, Dec -96 -Mar -97, Dec -98 - Jan -99 with Smt Savithri Jagannatha Rao
1987 - 1999 Abhinayasudha in Chennai, India
Studies of Abhinaya - The mimic part in Classical Indian Dance; Sep -87 - mar-88 , Jan -Apr -90, Nov -91 - Mar -92, Jan - Apr -93, Oct -94 - Jan -95, Dec -96 -Mar -97, Dec -98 - Jan -99 with Guru Kalanidhi Narayanan and her students Uma Maheshwari and Nityakalyani Vaijyanathan
1984-1987 Centre Mandapa in Paris France
Studies of Bharata Natyam - Classical Indian dance
With Sri Kama Dev
1984 - 1985 Ecole Jacques Lecoq in Paris France
Studies in Theater and Mime
1982 - 1983 Teaterstudion in Stockholm, Sweden
Studies in Theater and Movement
Workshops
1999 Dansens Hus in Copenhagen, Denmark
Modern Indian Dance with Shobana Jeysingh company members
1998 and 1999 Dansens Hus in Copenhagen, Denmark
Butoh Dance with Natsu Nakajima
1996 Kanonehallen in Copenhagen, Denmark
The Performers Bios
A conference organized by the Institute of Theater Anthropology, with lecture demonstrations by performing arts masters from Europe, America and Asia
1995 Dans I Dialog in Jylland, Denmark
Odissi - Classical Indian Dance from Orissa State with Samjukta Panigrahi
1989 Theatre du Soleil in Paris, France
Abhinaya - Indian mime with Guru Kalanidhi Narayanan
1987, 91,94, 96 and 98 Sri Krishna Gana Sabha in Chennai, India
Natyakala Conference
A yearly conference with lectures and lecture demonstrations by performing artists and scholars from India and other Asian countries
1986 AIA in Paris, France
Balinese Mask with Mas Soegeng
1986 Theatre du Soleil in Paris, France
Theater with Ariadne Mnouchkine
Professional memberships
Member of Swedish Theater Union, Swedish Dance Center, Storytellers of New Mexico (former 1st Vice president), and National Storytellers Network