Daniel Staaf (Stockholm) has, through his Swedish/Filipino background, developed an artistic practice that moves between identity, belonging, and the body’s intuitive intelligence. He sees the body as an archive of memories and possibilities, and works through improvisation, presence, and attentiveness to explore how movement can create space for community, transformation, and self-understanding.

Daniel began his professional career after training at the Royal Swedish Ballet School and Codarts in Rotterdam, and has since 2009 been active in both international institutions and the independent scene. He has performed with Bern Ballet, Gallim Dance in New York, and Punchdrunk/Sleep No More, and has worked with independent choreographers including Tabea Martin, Örjan Andersson, and Paloma Madrid. His journey through these diverse artistic environments has shaped an interest in the relationship between body, space, and the audience’s perceptual participation.

Since 2018, Daniel has been co-founder of FRAME, a non-profit organization that unites dance and wellbeing through residencies, workshops, and artistic development. There he has been instrumental in developing the method Fieldwork, a movement research practice that combines improvisation, somatics, and group dynamics to cultivate presence and creativity.

His first work under his own name, Fläta, premiered in 2024 at Dansplats Skog. The work centers on listening, closeness, and the sense of belonging, and has become a foundation for further exploration in upcoming projects, such as the dance film Tråd and the immersive work Matta, which develops the same themes through spatiality, materiality, and audience participation.