D A I N A A S H B E E
My choreography is an investigation of the body in order to address the subconscious. The art of dance brings me closer to my own body and to the awareness of my own thoughts and processes. Articulating this awareness through choreography helps to uncover my connection to the environment, the earth and to my ancestors. In a society full of traps to confuse, numb and desensitize, my work uses and acknowledges the density and complexity of the human structure by exploring its innards, its thought processes, its energy and its capacity for life. By employing subtle energetic capacities of the body, I work with familiar states where humans can relate to a sense of being and of space and time. By tapping into the familiar energetic states, images and rituals, my choreography first unwinds, before it expands. I employ the extreme energetic capacities of the human where mind, body and voice transform through repetition and duration; insisting through time and therefore expanding our capacity to communicate through the language of movement. As an artist, I create art where living-body is what occupies and commands both space and attention. As a human-being, this work allows me to transform, exposing layers that couldn’t be expressed otherwise. Therefore I see my artistry as a gift and sharing my craft as both a privilege and an obligation.
-Daina Ashbee, Vancouver 2011
Photo of Daina Ashbee by Meaghan Ogilvie
Recognized as one of the most prolific choreographers of her generation, since 2015 her work has been presented over one-hundred times in 20 countries abroad. Her work has been presented in some of the most prestigious festivals (The Venice Biennale, Oktoberdans, the Munich Dance Biennale, Montpellier Danse) and on the stages of the world.
After residing for 8 years in Montréal, in 2020 she relocated to Gabriola-Island, where she re-sources her creative and energetic practices on the west coast of Canada while she is not touring or creating abroad. Her work, firmly established in somatic and energetic practices, reinvestigates and transforms trauma and violence. Her repertoire has been recognized internationally for being unafraid, bold and brutally honest. She has created a unique artistic signature, and won numerous awards including a 2019 New York City Bessie.
In 2021, at the age of 31, she had two separate Retrospectives of her performance artworks; one in Montpellier, France and the second in Montreal, Canada. In 2022 she became the recipient of The Clifford E. Lee Choreographer Award from The Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity in Alberta, Canada.
Daina aims to continue developing her career in performance art and is currently investigating her subconscious mind as well as modalities that address how trauma leaves its imprints on the physical body.
Daina’s newest creations: Hello, Buffalo (2023) premiered in New York City at The Bill T Jones Theatre: New York Live Arts. The work is a 80-minute intimate piece solo performed by Imara Bosco. We learned a lot at our funeral (2024) also performed by Bosco, premiered in Montpellier, France at the prestigious Montpellier Danse Festival directed by Jean-Paul Montanari. My Tale on a Fish's Body (2024) Ashbee’s largest group piece to date was produced in Banff, Alberta at The Banff Centre for The Arts.