Karwan Omar
Landis & Gyr Stiftung Residency
2026
Karwan Omar (born 1970) is an independent dancer, dance educator, choreographer,
and director. He is originally from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, where he obtained both
a diploma and a Bachelor’s degree in Dance and Theatre. During his time there, he
created numerous solos, duets, and group works that were performed nationally and
internationally. He later moved to Switzerland and has been living and working in Zug
for the past 27 years. He completed a Master of Advanced Studies (MAS) in Dance
Education at the Zurich University of the Arts, specializing in Contemporary Dance.
Since 2012, he has been directing his own dance company in Zug.
For the past 16 years he has been teaching dance to students of all ages — from
children to those aged 60 and over — in a variety of classes and workshops. He also
regularly works as a choreographer and director for the Children’s and Youth Theatre
Zug. At the heart of his teaching lies the encouragement of creativity and the
development of each individual’s unique movement language. His work as a dance
educator and choreographer includes projects with professional dancers and non
professionals, from small-scale workshops to large-scale productions.
Building on this extensive experience, his most recent project is a newly completed
dance film (In the Heart of the Sun), in which he combines his passion for movement,
rhythm, and visual poetry with the narrative possibilities of cinema.
Landis & Gyr Stiftung, Switzerland
The Landis & Gyr foundation awards studio scholarships to Swiss artists and cultural professionals in London, Budapest, Sofia and Zug. Its London-based residency partnership with Acme was established in 1987, and provides six month long work/live opportunities for ten Swiss artists per year. Artists are selected for the programme directly by Landis & Gyr Stiftung and must demonstrate a track record of achievement in their field. Over two hundred visual artists, curators, writers, musicians and composers have benefitted from the programme. Residencies are based in Stepney, E1 and are available to Swiss residents only
For more information visit lg-stiftung.ch.
