Director Biography – Francesca Jandasek (SHADOW)

Francesca Jandasek born in Namibia, Africa from Czech Parents, is an Interdisciplinary Choreographer/Artist based in Los Angeles.

She has received awards and fellowships for her choreography, music and visual art. Francesca has performed in New York, Washington DC, Maryland, Virginia, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Russia, Canada, India, Bangladesh, Czech Republic, and Argentina.

An authorized GYROTONIC® and GYROKINESIS® Pre-trainer, Francesca owns SOURCE STUDIO, a Gyrotonic/Pilates Studio in Los Angeles. She holds a Master of Fine Arts in dance and teaches at Cal State LA.

Theater Credits: “Don Quixote”, “Tempest”, “A Trip to the Moon”
Choreography/Concept: “The Immured Woman”, “ToGetHer”, “Gallery Space”, “Pandora’s Door”, “Ellesmere”, “Her Flowers”, “Invitations”
Film/TV: “Shadow” (Creator, Producer, Composer, Choreographer), “Her Tango”, “Sexpectations” (Crisis Lab), “Orpheia”

Director Statement

I do not feel alive unless I am creating, imagining, thinking and dreaming. It is always how I have connected with people around me and made sense of the world since I was little. Born in Namibia, Africa from Czech Parents who fled Communism and growing up in the United States with English as my second language, the arts have provided a refuge and a way to communicate ideas and emotions through a medium that does not need translation.

As world traveler and global citizen, I am interested in exploring what gives us life and what destroys us. I am fascinated by what we know and even more by what we do not know. I am inspired by the things I cannot explain, the things I cannot articulate, the stories I extrapolate. I want to share these discoveries and wonderings with others and learn from shared insight. The more knowledge and understanding I gain about the world, the more my cultural certainties are questioned and the more mysterious the human condition becomes. Seeking to understand, my work is heavily research based, the topics are complex and full of paradox. My work asks questions I do not yet know how to formulate. Ultimately, I create so that I can present these topics in their gloriously unresolved state in order to create a dialogue with my collaborators, performers, and audience members.