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Ana Carvajal

Ana Carvajal is a choreographer from Santiago, Chile, where since 2003 she has developed Por Defecto Danza project, through which she seeks a different kind of movement—one that allows for a broader range of bodies on stage and a consequent democratization of contemporary dance. She’s the director of the Trilogía del Pequeño Placer, including Solaz, a record of small tactile pleasures; Pogo, with 60 dancers exploring punk dance; and Háptico, with five performers resolving a structure of games, without sight. The dance video Pogo won awards at the Inshadows Festival (Portugal) and the Opine Dance Film Festival (USA). I hold a Master’s degree in Dance Research from CENIDI Danza José Limón, Mexico, with Háptica: Una propuesta de experimentación a través del tacto y el Método Feldenkrais para la creación coreográfica.

www.pordefectodanza.cl
@por_defecto_danza

Last project in residence

Akinetopsia begins with the question: Can dance exist without body or movement? The exploration of the implications of the rare condition akinetopsia offers some clues. This neurological disorder causes some individuals to experience difficulty perceiving motion fluidly, and in its most severe form—macroscopic akinetopsia—the world is perceived as static, with objects and people appearing without transitions.
This motion blindness opens the door to exploring movement through other senses and challenges the notion that dance is fundamentally made to be seen. It allows us to return to the origins of dance, with its ritual functions, where what truly matters is the haptic perception of those who take part in it.

Project developed with María Olga Delos and Rafael Silva.

Residency archive Graner

  • 2025 · crossed residency with Espacio Checoeslovaquia (Santiago de Chile) · Akinetopsia (with the support of the Institut Ramon Llull as part of its international residency support program and as a part of the International Creative Residencies Program in Performing Arts, funded by the Performing Arts Fund of the Ministry of Cultures, Arts and Heritage of Chile, or by the National Fund for the Promotion and Development of the Performing Arts, 2024 Call.