Marlene Skog
MARLENE SKOG’s career as a performer and award-winning choreographer spans over thirty years at home and abroad. She is the Artistic Director of Marlene Skog Dance, a passionate educator and advocate for the arts. As a choreographer, Marlene's work is recognized for its emotional range, brilliant technique, and intentional fluidity between classical ballet and contemporary dance. Her work unpacks the enduring question of what it means to be human and is purposeful in its strong synthesis of movement, music and message.
A native New Yorker, Marlene's experience as a performing artist, teacher, and choreographer is vast. Connecting to the energy and pulse of the times, she continued her work in Sweden for fourteen years, where she founded her international company, Marlene Skog & Dancers, as well as Uppsala Dansakedemi, an establishment for dance arts. During her tenure, Skog developed a professional dance curriculum that was approved by the Professional Dance Board of Sweden and supported by the State. Marlene's unique vision prompted a noteworthy collaboration with renowned Swedish choreographer, Birgit Cullberg. Skog was commissioned to choreograph for multiple cultural events in Sweden, including the International Arts Festival—Norway, Scandinavian Cultural Conference, and the International Women’s Convention. She was awarded several unique honors including the prestigious Folkuniversitet Cultural Prize, Gotsa Knutsson, and NordBanken’s Cultural Awards. Marlene received her MFA from the University of Arizona, where her tenure was recognized with the Creative Achievement Award and the Green Valley Concert Association Fellowship Award in Choreography. Her work has been performed nationally across the Midwest and in New York City, Hawaii, Florida and North Carolina and internationally at the King’s Palace in Edinburgh, Scotland and at the World Dance Alliance in Vancouver B.C.
Currently, Marlene is on faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison as an Assistant Professor of Dance and the recipient of the Wisconsin Dance Council's Distinction Award.