About

Experimental stage artist, filmmaker and 2006 Guggenheim Fellow in choreography, Dayna Hanson was co-artistic director of Seattle-based dance theater company 33 Fainting Spells from 1994 until 2006. Before that, she worked independently and with a variety of Seattle performers and artists; before that, she wrote short fiction.

Dayna is currently developing her first feature film, an experimental musical called Rainbow commissioned by Northwest Film Forum. She also plays keyboards and bass with Today! and, with Dave Proscia, she recently started a clothing line, The Forest Cat.

With 33 Fainting Spells she co-created, performed and toured a half-dozen dance theater pieces, including Dirty Work and Our Little Sunbeam. In 2005, her solo multi-media work, Spirit Under The Influence, was presented by Northwest Film Forum. Dayna's latest work for the stage, We Never Like Talking About the End, premiered at On the Boards in Seattle in December 2006. With Dave Proscia, she is currently at work on a new performance piece inspired by the American Revolution.

Dayna has directed and co-directed a number of experimental and short dance films, including Measure, which can be found on First Run Features' Dance for Camera DVD. From 1999 until 2003, she was co-curator of New Dance Cinema, an international dance film festival based in Seattle. In 2005, she produced Walking to Werner, a documentary feature by Linas Phillips.

Dayna lives in Seattle with her two teenage sons, Henry and Linus; her boyfriend Dave and their Norwegian Forest Cat, Seymour.

Select Awards and Grants:

• City Artist grant, Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs, 2009
• Individual Projects grant, 4Culture, 2008
• Northwest Film Forum Start–to–Finish grant, 2007
• Guggenheim Fellowship in choreography, 2006
• Stranger Genius Award: shortlist in film, 2006
• Special Jury Prize, Seattle International Film Festival: Walking to Werner, 2006 (producer)
• MAPFund grant, 2005

Press

Connecting the dots between Stravinsky and Hip Hop – New York Times

Wake Up, Igor: Five new works dialogue with a 20th-century genius – Village Voice

Personal Space: Dayna Hanson's Spirit finds a good home at NWFF – Seattle Times

Fainting Spells founder steps out on her own – Seattle Weekly

FRIENDS

Annie Marie Musselman
Ben Kasulke
Christian Hansen
Ellie Sandstrom
Jazz Night School
Linas Phillips
Lori Goldston
Lynn Shelton
Marissa Niederhauser
Maureen Whiting
Northwest Film Forum
On the Boards
Paul Moore
Tania Kupczak
Trevor Stadtmiller