Dasniya Sommer is a Berlin based performer and choreographer who examines movement and image from the perspective of the dancer. Her body is her artistic brain. She works in the range from happening to photography and video art, from Japanese Shibari (Japanese Bondage) to classical ballet.
Dasniya Sommer (1980) was raised in Berlin and began as classical trained dancer working with the Berlin Staatsballett in 1998.
At the age of 17 she started working as a fashion model and went to New York for broader dance training for a couple of years.
Back in Berlin Sommer danced for Cie Felix Ruckert and co-founded Schwelle7.
Since 2008 she develops own performances and collaborates with contemporary choreographers/directors such as Helena Waldmann, Romeo Castellucci, Angela Schubot, Florentina Holzinger and others.
In 2009 Sommer started studying philosophy, physics and art history at Humboldt Universität Berlin.
Since 2013 she has been working as a guest with das Helmi where she was sculpting and dancing in various shows.
Parallel to her choreographic activities Dasniya Sommer established herself as visual artist/stage designer. Her main areas are Sculpture, Video Art and Photography.
For this she founded Haus Sommer at Uferhallen Kulturwerkstatt in 2011. There she constantly keeps researching and documenting with various artists on all kind of motion-driven expressions.
Sommer is a forerunner in combining ballet, contemporary dance, shibari, butoh and yoga with video art and photo work. She focuses on new descriptions of bodily images by integrating a cultural critical research strongly motivated by a radical desire for free forms of expression.
Her work has been shown internationally in museums and galleries including Uferhallen Kulturwerkstatt Berlin, Südpol, Luzern, Lyonel-Feininger-Gallerie, Quedlinburg, La Gaîté Lyrique, Paris, Centre d’Art Contemporain Genève, Berliner Festspiele, Ethnological Museum of Berlin, Museum of Contemporary Art Helsinki.
Dasniya Sommer is also teaching regularly in her own studio and abroad and co-choreographs for group works and directors.
Recent works are:
‘Yum Yum’ – First group work for five dancers/performers in collaboration with Michael Schuhmacher/Meine Damen und Herren Ensemble.
‘flux nX cusp’ – Performance created together with shibari artist GESTALTA.
‘BOI 1-7’ – Series of rope sculptures.
‘no hard feelings’ – Series of photographs.
‘Bondage Duell’ – Performance created together with Silke Schönfleisch-Backofen.
‘Nun on the Moon’ – Performance which involves the audience and leads them into a shibari experience.
‘An Unboxing Ballet Beat’ – Performative collaboration with the voice over artist Mmakgosi Kgabi.