PIA DEL NORTE
PIA "DEL NORTE" POHJAKALLIO
A 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 also often acts as a co-producer in different works/performances and is the driving force of the Stockholm flamencohub FlamencoFredag.
Pia believes in the true and direct expression of flamenco and is convinced of flamencos strengths as an universal art form. She is credited for her "aire" and nerv as a dancer as well as her ear, her work often characterized by a close co-operation with musicians and different art forms.
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 still continually attends flamencoclasses and workshops in Spain, Sweden, Finland and wherever she happens to be.
She has studied for a great number of maestr@s with 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 in Qigong, apart from a background of practice and studies in different dynamic yogaforms, Pilates, Klein and other techniques aimed for physical (as well as mental & spiritual) wellbeing.
Work
2024 is filled with creativity; Pia has been granted a freelance residency at Estrad Norr together with Erik Steen, Safoura Safavi and Valter Kinbom (guitar, vocals/sound design, percussion and percussive dance) as well as received funding for a new project together with Josefina Paulson, Sophie Cavez and Sara Holgado (this is keyed fiddle, accordeon, flamencosong and percussive dance!). Pia is also working towards youngsters with school shows and "skapande skola"-projects and elderly in the city of Stockholm with traditional flamenco programs and 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, the Brittish Islands 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 artists both Nordic as well as international artists. 2018 FlamencoFredag was granted "Årets Arrangör", the stage or organizer of the year award at the national Folk- och Världsmusikgalan!
Grants and nominations
Nominated Artist of the Year 2023 at the Folk- and worldmusic awards in Sweden as the first dancer in the category in the history of the gala. In 2022 she was nominated for "The Swedish Finn of the year" by SR and SVT - the Swedish public service television and radio.
In 2018 FlamencoFredag was granted the "Organizer of the year"-award at the Folk- and worldmusic awards in Sweden where Pia's co-operation with Finnish singer Anna Fält and the production ¡RÅ! was nominated for "Årets Tvärspel" - "co-operation beyond borders of the year" in 2015.
She has been granted artist recidency at SITE Sweden - a great honour and possibility to deepen her work and proud receiver of the Stockholm City Culture Scholarship award 2016 for her work within the dance field. 2017 she was chosen as a resident artist at Vitlycke centre of performing arts.
Her work is supported by the City of Stockholm, Region Stockholm, The Swedish Art Councel, The Swedish Art Grants Commity, the Nordic Culture Point as well as Helge Ax:son Johnson trust and Längmanska Culture trust.