About The Company

Slanjayvah Danza is an intercultural dance company with a unique artistic voice.

Bringing together the cultures of Scotland and Spain through a merging of TRAD arts, folk arts and contemporary dance theatre, Slanjayvah Danza is recognised internationally for “Putting the dance into storytelling”; for producing relatable, adventurous, and heart-warming experiences which honour our communities.

From the humble village hall to the global stage we know no bounds in reaching and delighting audiences with our magical marriage of dance, live music, song, film and folklore. With our finger on the pulse we collaborate with the freshest of talents and the most experienced of artists to create meaningful, energetic and positive experiences with, by and and for the world community.

Where we are at:

In our latest work, 6 Feet, 3 Shoes, Jenni Wren returned to the roots of the company name which is derived from the old Scottish Gaelic language combined with sprinkle a Spanish influence. The name speaks of the early day collaborations between Jen of Scotland and her co-founding company members who hailed from Cordóba. 6 Feet, 3 Shoes recounts the tales of friendship between the trio and in a work that is “Delightful … from start to finish” – (David Mead, The Scotsman / Seeing Dance) Jen shares a detailed research of culture and friendship through a blend of traditional and contemporary dance styles, supported by live fiddle, guitar and drums. You can follow the project accolades here.

How we got here:

The company was established in 2004 by Artistic Director and Choreographer, Jen Wren to produce high quality artistic dance productions and community experiences.  Our first decade focused mainly on technically demanding dance works which told stories for stage and screen and during this time an exploration of social themes, and often undiscussed taboo subjects, became signatory of the company ethos. The work has always been about using real life stories to create background narratives and dramaturgical threads, and this was explored initially through contemporary dance practice. With that said, there has always been a cross-disciplinary interest which has been drawn out through the fusion of Flamenco, Tango, Poetry, Opera, Theatre, Sign-language…depending on what felt relevant to inject, in order for each work to feel complete.

Working in a cross-cultural and interdisciplinary territory has allowed us, over time, to develop a unique voice and style which is at home in both the worlds of the TRAD and folk arts, and that of contemporary performance contexts. Since its beginnings, Slanjayvah Danza has created, presented and toured work (inter)nationally, always researching within communities to create distinctive bespoke processes that will resonate and tell the authentic stories of those people. What this means is that the community plays a pivotal and magical role in the trajectory of the company and the work we create.

In 2019, Slanjayvah Danza re-formed itself as a SCIO charity SC049410, officially incorporating the original Gaelic spelling of its name (Slàinte Mhath Dannsa) and re-located home to rural Perthshire, Scotland.