The Swedish dancer and choreographer ALEXANDER EKMAN (born 1984) lives in Stockholm, creating works for opera houses and theatres in collaboration with dance companies around the world. His aim is to entertain and captivate audiences, while maintaining an artistic, poetic and intellectually rich expression. He creates works that both entertain and pose questions. In his own words: “I like to create new worlds.”
Ekman began his career as a dancer with the Royal Swedish Ballet, later joining the Nederlands Dans Theater. His first major success as a choreographer came in 2006, at the age of 22, when he created his debut commissioned work, Flockwork for the Nederlands Dans Theater. Since then, he has produced around fifty choreographies for companies worldwide. Between 2010 and 2013, Ekman was the resident choreographer for the Nederlands Dans Theater 2. He has collaborated with artists such as Swedish dancer and choreographer Mats Ek, Danish fashion designer Henrik Vibskov, Swedish composer Mikael Karlsson, dramaturg and conceptual artist Carina Nildalen, singer Anna Von Hausswolff, director T. M. Rives, and the company Cirque du Soleil.
One of Ekman’s most popular works is Cacti (2010), which has been performed by more than twenty dance companies worldwide. Conceived as a reaction to the choreographer’s aversion to art criticism, Cacti is a humorous yet incisive commentary on opinion culture and cultural elitism.
Among Ekman’s best-known works is A Swan Lake (2014), created for the Norwegian National Ballet. His reinterpretation of the classic tale featured a stage filled with 6,000 litres of water, transforming it into a real lake. In 2015, he presented his version of another classic tale with the ballet Midsummer Night’s Dream for the Royal Swedish Ballet. Both ballets feature original scores, composed by Mikael Karlsson. Aged 26, Ekman created his first full-scale production Ekman’s Triptych – A Study of Entertainment (2010) for Cullberg Ballet. Structured in three acts, the work explores the boundary between art and entertainment.
Ekman has also received international acclaim for his ballets COW (2016, Semperoper Dresden), PLAY (2017, Paris Opera Ballet), LIB (2019, Berlin State Theatre, created in collaboration with hair artist Charlie Le Mindu) and HAMMER (2022, Gothenburg Ballet), among others. His ballets continue to be staged and performed by the world’s leading ballet companies.
Ekman has developed a close working relationship with director T. M. Rives who documented the creation of A Swan Lake and PLAY in his films Rare Birds and PLAY SERIOUS. In 2017, Ekman also turned to documentary filmmaking with KREATIV, a documentary produced in collaboration with the production company Anna and Paul. The film explores creativity through interviews with scientists, psychologists and artists including Marina Abramović, Henrik Vibskov, Simon Kyaga, Jonas Mosskin and Alexander Bard.
In 2016, Ekman delivered a talk at TEDx Stockholm, presenting his concept of “the magic triangle” – a formula for live performance, which requires the interplay of three elements to create magic on stage: the work, the space and the audience. In 2024, Ekman was appointed Artistic Director and Choreographer of the opening ceremony of the Paralympic games in Paris.
As he approaches his fortieth birthday, Alexander Ekman continues to expand his artistic vision, increasingly turning his attention to theatre. One of the most compelling aspects of his work is Ekman’s ability to attract new audiences to opera houses around the world – his following spans all generations.