MARIA NILSSON WALLER

Maria Nilsson Waller is a freelance dance artist and choreographer who also designs sound, set and costume. She was elected "Hoffnungsträgerin" (bearer of hope) 2015 by Tanzmagazine. Her work has been described as idiosyncratic, mesmerizing, pure, quirkily humorous and as poetry from the lingonberry forest.

In 2017 she founded multidisciplinary production house Flora Fauna Project together with composer and video artist Stace Gill/The Sei, and since 2015 she is designing and creating jewellery at her own company nordic.root.

Maria was born in 1984 in the Swedish town of Östersund, county Jämtland. Surrounded by music, she grew up playing various instruments and was strongly influenced by the traditional music of the region, as well as by classical and modern music. At the age of 15 she left home to pursue a career in dance, a passion she had then already carried for many years. She graduated from the Royal Swedish Balletschool in 2004. Around this time, while working as a freelance dancer, her interest in choreography and composition started to grow. This led her to further studies at Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance, and from there to France. 

Between 2007 and 2009, Maria was part of Cannes Jeune Ballet where she choreographed several pieces for the company’s repertoire under the artistic direction of Monique Loudiéres.

Maria regularily teaches professional training in Ballet and Contemporary at Dance Ireland, Galway Dance Project, Dance Limerick and at the College of Dance, Dublin. Apart from this she has also together with drummer Magnus Vikberg completed over 200 workshops in contemporary dance for primary schools in the north of Sweden between 2012-2017 through Skapande Skola. 

In October 2015 she premiered "See the Man" a piece for 35 professional footballplayers plus staff of ÖFK (Östrsunds Fotbolls Klubb, Allsvenskan, Sweden) - a unique collaboration between sports and dance. Through Flora Fauna Project she has led a number of community collaborations since then. 

Independent productions to date include:

Walker (2010)

Ingenmansland (2011)

Last Land (2012)

Stream (2013)

Founder (2014)

Blanca (2015)

Journey (2015)

ÖFK - See the Man (2015)

Prime (2016)

Merry.Go.Round (2017/2022)

Flora + Fauna (2018)

Lumen (2019/2023)

The River (2020)

Praying Positions/Metamorphosis (2020).

This Is Home (2022)

Riverine (2023) 

She has received commissions from Galway Dance Days (Founder, 2014), Dublin City Council (Journey, 2014) and Estrad Norr (Blanca, 2015, THIS IS HOME 2022).

Maria is currently dance artist in residence at D-Light Studios, Dublin, was a member of now dissolved Jämtlands Kulturkompani and a Dance Ireland Associate Artist 2013/2014.