Jana Unmüssig

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Sharing-as-narrating my bio (as of fall 2024): 

I am a Helsinki-based artist and researcher roaming in the field of artistic research. I have traversed the field of choreography by working as a choreographer-director for some years (2008-2015) to then realize that I needed a change.  I got kids (2014, 2017), and a doctorate (2018), started painting and dropped painting (2020), engaged in a three-year research project on breath with Berlin-based choreographer and performer Miriam Jakob in the frame of the Artistic Research Program Berlin (2019-2022) to then commence writing a fiction text called Skizzierte Geschichte in Einzelnen Bildern / Engl. Sketched Story in Separate Images(ongoing). This and many more angles are part of who I am as a lecturer in Choreography. 

Education

2018, Doctor of Arts (dance), Theater Academy of the University of the Arts Helsinki

2010, Master of Arts (choreography), Inter-University Center of Dance (HZT), Berlin Germany

2008, Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance (SEAD), Salzburg, Austria

2002, D.E.U.G. Arts du Spectacle, theater, Sorbonne-Nouvelle, Paris, France

Other education

Since 2020, Studies in the bodywork of Marion Rosen

2018/2019, Studies in Art Education, Pedagogical University Freiburg

2014, Guest student in class of Prof. Ursula Neugebauer, University of the Arts Berlin

2014, Studies in French, German and Pedagogy at Free University Berlin


Research outputs

1. Research-grounded Performative assemblages

February, 2022 Currents of Breath (working title), Performance, Radialsystem, Berlin, collaboration with Miriam Jakob

December, 2021 Motherhood and Art, Long Table Performance, KUTOMO Turku

June 2021, Loooooooooooong Title, painting, reading, writing, performance, MADHOUSE Helsinki, collaboration with Pie Kär and Salla Salin

April 2021, Breathing Nearby, lecture performance, Artistic Research Program Berlin, collaboration with Miriam Jakob

December 2020, Abécédaire of Breathing, lecture performance, SODA Lecture Series Breathe, Inter-University Center Berlin, collaboration with Miriam Jakob

September 2020, Breathing With_1, painting and writing, Exhibition Vertigo, Tanznacht Berlin

September 2020, Walking on Questions of Higher Art Education, performative walk at the LAPSody Festival, Life Art Program Theater Academy Helsinki, collaboration with communication studies scholar Francisco Trento

December 2019    A Room for Artistic Research – Attempt of a miniature-theatre, performance-lecture-aperitif, E-Werk Freiburg, Germany

January 2019 Two Bodies in Space (with Yarn), installation-performance, Floating Peripheries Conference, University of Lapland, collaboration with visual artist Tina Jonsbu

September 2017  Thoughts on Threads, collaboration with Tina Jonsbu, Somatic Academy Berlin

June 2017 Seeing – the utopia of access, workshop-performance, Research Pavillion, Bienale Venice.

June 2016 seeing, time, composing, workshop-exhibition, Exhibition Laboratory, Fine Arts Academy Helsinki.

February 2015 ///, reading-performing-speaking, Institute for artistic research /Uferstudios, Berlin

December 2013 Something in the way she sees, lecture performance, tanz.tausch Festival, Cologne

November 2012 In front of the eye, lecture performance,  e-werk Theatre Freiburg

June 2011 What do I do when I do what I do?, lecture performance, Artistic research Lab, Berlin

2. Choreographies for stage in black box theatre

April 2015 Gesellschaft  und Trio mit Tanz – ein zweigeteilter Abend (engl. Compagny and Trio with Dance – a twofold evening), Kampnagel Hamburg

February 2014 glk, Kampnagel Hamburg

March 2013 Colour, Colour, Zodiak –Center for New Dance, Helsinki

August 2012 White Throw, Tanznacht/Tanz im August Berlin

March 2012, Strich/ Chrysantheme/ Haar fällt, Hebbel am Ufer 2, Berlin

July 2011   Morgen ist ein Tag, k3- Choreografic Center Hamburg

March 2011 Der Himmel hängt weit, Festival Based in Berlin, Berlin 

March 2011 Ast im Auge, Hebbel am Ufer 3, Berlin                           

July 2010 Zausend. Hoch., Opera de Monte Carlo, Monaco

January 2010 HAUS, Sophiensaele, Berlin

June 2009 linie, fisch, BAT, Berlin

May 2009 SoloTryptichon, BAT, Berlin

January 2009 Ich bin Baum, Sophiensaele, Berlin

August 2008 Nervous dance, Movement Research, New York

August 2008 Without subtitle ́ ́, Nuorta Verta, Khumo, Finnland

June 2008 Without subtitle ́, SEAD Theater, Salzburg

June 2008 Some water is poured onto the table, SEAD Theater, Salzburg

May 2008 Fragen setzen/stellen/legen, PACT Zollverein, Atelier, Essen


March 2018 I see her I see you, Tanzfabrik, Berlin

January 2008 This is a chewing gum or: is there still milk I the fridge?, Republic, Salzburg

July 2007 It is difficult to talk about feelings, SEAD Theater, Salzburg

February 2007, Things and Solo, SEAD Theater, Salzburg

3. Written publications

Monograph

  • Breathing Nearby, Errant Bodies Press, 2022
  • Composition and Choreography: Critical Reflections on Perception, Body and Temporality, Helsinki, Acta Scenica, 2018

Blind peer-reviewed articles

  • Proposition for the Eventual Mights of Teaching Choreography: Choreography Pedagogy in the Context of MA Choreography Studies.  Nordic Journal of Dance, 2023
  • Ponderings with Breathing with Ponderings. Choreographic Practices, Intellect Books, 2021

Essays

  • Abécédaire of Breathing. In Breathe edited by Jansa/Noeth, Transcript, 2023
  • Of Interest (tba). In: Holte/Kongssness/Sortland (Eds.): Choreography 2018, pp.42-47.
  • There is no such thing than Choreography, In Swedish Dance History, INPEX, 2009.

4. Video based publications

April 2018  Arbitrary Title, TUTKE Spring Dance 2017, Kiasma – Museum for Contemporary Art Helsinki

July 2017 Choreography, Choreography, Nivel 08, Poetics of Form

5. Talks, conference presentations, panels

June 2022    Listening and Breathing, paper-workshop-practice, Airy Encounters: Respiratory  Philosophy and Sound Art symposium, Institute for Philosophical Studies, Science and Research Centre Koper, Slovenia & Sibelius Academy, Uniarts Helsinki, Finland 

October 2021    On Dance Education, paper presentation, DSA conference, Chicago, collaboration with Hanna Järvinen

May   2021        Talk on Breath and Dance and Art and, Lake Studios, invited by Marten Spangberg

January 2021      Panelist, Post-Research Conference, EARN working group VALUE, HKU,  Utrecht    

September 2020   Choreography Pedagogy, Teak Research Day, How to do Things with Performance, collaboration with Hanna Järvinen

August 2019     Keep on Threading or: a TITLE, Collaboration with visual artist Tina Jonsbu, Conference for Artistic Research (CARPA), Helsinki

June 2019     A pedagogy of choreography, Nordic Forum for Dance Research, NOFOD

November 2015 Bodily and contemplative Seeing and TIME, 1st Parse Biennale Research Conference on time, University Gothenburg

November 2013 No title, no end,6 th International Conference of Doctoral Studies of Theater Schools, Brno

July 2012 ,wenn der Wald still ist. Aesthetics of embodiment, KW- Institute for Contemporary Art Berlin.

6. Assignments

2024     Peer-reviewing for Journal for Artistic Research

2022     Peer-reviewing for Nordic Journal of Dance

2022      Interviewee for the Research Panel, Uniarts Helsinki

2022      Peer-reviewing for RUUKU (Studies in Artistic Research)

2019- 2023     Member of Research Council at Theater Academy, Helsinki

November 2020   Moderating artist talk with Sonja Jokiniemi, Moving in November Festival, Helsinki 

October 2020     Peer-reviewing for JAR (Journal of Artistic Research)

May 2020       Jury member for one-to-one-mentoring program, Tanznetz, Freiburg,Germany


Teaching

Teaching Courses at BA / MA level (selection)

On reading (continuously) , MA Choreography, 8 students, 2024, DOCH Uniarts Stockholm

Artistic Research , MA Choreography, 6 students, 2024, Uniarts Helsinki

Directing n´ Choreography , MA Choreography, 6 students, 2024, Uniarts Helsinki

Something called Composition, MA Choreography, 8 students, 2023, DOCH Uniarts Stockholm

Composition, BA Dance, 16 students, 2023, Theater Academy Helsinki

Artistic Methods, BA Inclusive Education, 20 students, 2023, University of Applied Sciences Freiburg

Seeing and Dance Dramaturgy, MA Dramaturgy, 12 students, 2022, Uniarts Helsinki

On Reading, MA Choreography, 10 students, Uniarts Stockholm, 2022

Production Course, (facilitation), MA Choreography, 3 students, Uniarts Helsinki

Facilitated Practice, MA Choreography, 3 students, 2022, Uniarts Helsinki

Expanded Choreography, BA/MA, 15 students, 2022, Joint Studies Uniarts Helsinki

Ecologies of Becoming, course P2-Seminar, transdisciplinary seminar, BA/MA students from Fine Arts, Art Therapy, Dance, Social Work, 13 students, 2022, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Ottersberg, Germany

Artistic Research, MA Choreography, four programs from the Nordic Choreographic Platform, 25 students, 2022, Uniarts Helsinki

Walking towards no thing, course MA Choreography/MA Dance/MA TILIS, 9 students, 2022, Uniarts Helsinki

Modes of Collaboration, course MA Choreography/MA Dance/MA TILIS, 13 students, 2022, Uniarts Helsinki

Score-based Working, course MA Choreography/MA Dance/MA TILIS,  13 students, 2022, Uniarts Helsinki

Artistic Methods, course BA Inclusive Education, 20 students, 2022, University of Applied Sciences Freiburg

Theories Nearby Breathing, MA Choreography, 3 students, 2021,2022, Uniarts Helsinki

Breathing With, workshop MA Gender Studies, 4 students, 2021, University of Freiburg

Dramaturgy and Choreography, workshop, MA Dance Studies, 15 students, 2021, Free University Berlin

Artistic Methods, course BA Inclusive Education, 20 students, 2021, University of Applied Sciences Freiburg

Karen Barad´s Intra action, Seminar at the MA Choreography, 2021, Theater Academy Helsinki 

Minor Teaching, Seminar at the MA Dance Pedagogy, 2021, Theater Academy Helsinki

Temporality in Time-Based Art, workshop within the course Situation LAB, 2020, Fine Arts Academy Helsinki

Performative Choreography, course MA Choreography, 5 students, 2020, Theater Academy Helsinki

Breathing Differently, course P2 Seminar, transdisciplinary seminar, 8 MA students from Fine Arts, Art Therapy, Dance, Social work, 2020, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Ottersberg, Germany

Breathing With Speaking, course MA Swedish Acting, 12 students, 2020, Theater Academy Helsinki

Artistic Methods, course BA Inclusive Education, 20 students, 2020, University of Applied Sciences Freiburg

Artistic Methods, course MA Inclusive Education, 7 students, 2019, University of Applied Sciences Freiburg

Artistic Research, course MA Choreography, 4 students, 2019, Theater Academy Helsinki.

Composition, Seeing, Time, course BA dance, 13 students, 2013, Theater Academy Helsinki

Artistic Research in Performance, or: this is how my working feels like, workshop, MA Choreography, 3 students, University of the Arts Antwerp

Composition, 3rd year, 25 students, 2012, Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance (SEAD)

Composition, course BA dance, 13 students, 2012, Theater Academy Helsinki

Composition, 3rd year, 25 students, 2011, Skolen for Samtidsdans, Oslo

Supervising, mentoring, examiner at BA and MA leves

Continuous: Mentoring, supervision and examining since 2021 of MA Choreography students at Uniarts Helsinki combined with mentoring students at the HZT Berlin (2011-2014).

Teaching Interventios in third cycle

Breathing With – a practical artistic research session, practice-based teaching to doctoral candidates of the Performing Arts Research Center of Uniarts Helsinki, 2022

Unaccountable Pieces Towards An Art Education, research presentation to doctoral candidates of the Performing Arts Research Center of Uniarts Helsinki in the frame of Post-Doc Seminar, 2022

Infinite Titles: Nearby Breath, research presentation to doctoral candidates of the Performing Arts Research Center of Uniarts Helsinki in the frame of Post-Doc Seminar, 2020

Continuous Excerpt of an artistic research project in-making, presentation to doctoral candidates of the Performing Arts Research Center of Uniarts Helsinki in the frame of introduction week to doctoral studies, 2019