PIA DEL NORTE
PIA "DEL NORTE" POHJAKALLIO
Renowned flamenco dancer and choreographer who's practise seamlessly blends cutting-edge experimental concepts and deep-rooted flamenco traditions. Her performances have captivated audiences worldwide, earning her recognition as one of the most celebrated flamenco artists in the north.
Pia is credited for her expressive presence and nerv as a dancer as well as her ear and uncompromising fearlessness, her work often characterised by close co-operation with musicians and different art forms.
Her interest as a choreographer and dancer is in the "directedness" of performative practices, their way of creating connection and empathy between human beings beyond words, regardless of cultural background. In her practice, a connection to flamenco is present, although the setting can range from a traditional flamenco tablao-performance to exploring sonic architecture together with sound artists, collaborating with iron sculptures or with musicians from a wide range of backgrounds.
Apart from her own performative work, she's the founder and artistic director of the Stockholm based flamenco-platform FlamencoFredag (2015-) and founder of NFN - Northern Flamenco Network (2022-). Recently she has also worked for creating a small scale residency center for dance and performing arts at Skeppsta hytta, a glas-hut in the Swedish Sörmland Region.
Studies
As a three-year-old Pia was absorbed by flamenco in Granada and declared that she when she grew up, she would be a flamenco dancer! After years of dance classes with Anneli Uronen in Helsinki at an early age, she studied dance pedagogics at the Stockholm University of the Arts (SKH, then DoCH), flamenco, choreography and spanish dances at Conservatorio Superior de Danza de Malaga and has since 2006 continually attended flamencoclasses and workshops in Spain, Sweden, Finland or wherever she happens to be.
She has studied for a great number of maestr@s. Olga Pericet, Marco Flores, Rocio Molina, Israel Galvan, Rafael Estevez, Rafaela Carrasco, Ruben Olmo and Belen Maya leaving permanent traces in her body along with some wonderful teachers in classical ballet like Iskra Ring and percussive dancers like Heather Cornell broadening her views.
She has more than 200 h of Yinyoga teacher training in her as well as continuous studies and practise in Qigong and a background of practice and studies in different dynamic yogaforms, Pilates, Klein and other techniques aimed for physical (as well as mental & spiritual) wellbeing. Pia started her studies in Shiatsu in 2024 to broaden her knowledge in this view of the world.
Work
2024 is filled with creativity; we received funding for a new project together with Josefina Paulson, Sophie Cavez and Sara Holgado (this is keyed fiddle, accordeon, flamencosong and percussive dance). She received a residency in Eskilstuna through Mer dans åt folket to work on her solo piece Hogar.
Pia is also working towards youngsters with school shows and "skapande skola"-projects and elderly in the city of Stockholm with traditional flamenco programs, labs in VadQueWhat together with Tanja Tuurala and Tina Wezelius Grebacken as well as working with courses and residencies in the Sörmland region in Sweden.
Through her company LP Flamenco, she has cooperated with Swedish organisations such as Dans i Norr/Norrbottenmusiken in the northernmost north, Scenkonst Sörmland, Västmanlandsmusiken, Dans i Stan and Länsmusiken in Stockholm, Musik i Syd etc.
She has presented her work internationally apart from the northern countries of Finland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark also in Greece, Italy, Bulgaria, the British Islands, Iceland and Spain.
Pia is engaged as a board member in RFoD and EPOS-Equality and Plurality On Stage and is the founder of Northern Flamenco Network.
Pia is the artistic director and driving force behind series of monthly flamenco-fridays in Stockholm since 2015. FlamencoFredag has become an important platform for flamenco that strives to show both more traditional tablao-style flamenco as well contemporary, artist specific work presenting both Nordic as well as international artists. 2018 FlamencoFredag was granted "Årets Arrangör", the stage or organiser of the year award at the national Folk- och Världsmusikgalan!
Grants and nominations
2023 - Nominated Artist of the year - Folk och Världsmusikgalan (FoV)
2022 - Nominated Swede-Finn of the year - SVT & SR
2020 - Named "Hero" for her work during the pandemic - FoV
2018 - Granted Organiser of the year for FlamencoFredag - FoV
2016 - Granted Dance award - City of Stockholm
2015 - Nominated Co-operation beyond borders with !RÅ¡ - FoV
Residencies granted
Mer Dans Åt Folket
Estrad Norr
Skeppsta hytta
Vitlycke centre of performing arts
SITE Sweden
Pia's work is supported by the City of Stockholm, Region Stockholm, The Swedish Art Council, The Swedish Art Grants Comity, the Nordic Culture Point as well as Helge Ax:son Johnson trust and Längmanska Culture trust.