Check Out Íris Ásmundar’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Íris Ásmundar.

Hi Íris, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started dancing at the age of 3, and I instantly found that this is where I belonged. I was an incredibly shy child and the mere thought of having to speak in front of people got me hiding behind my mother’s skirt. But when I danced I felt free. Free to express myself without words, whether it was my own story or someone else’s.
From the age of 10 I knew I wanted to make this my profession, and did everything possible to make it happen. I started going to the US for summer schools, completed my education early to pursue dance, and built my days on discipline and drive. I moved to London at the age of 18 to study at Rambert School, and little did I know but it being the start of a journey, taking me to different locations in the world doing what I love.
My dance career also led my to a side career as a pilates and barre instructor, a platform where I can share my passion with others, uplift and empower people, and show them that their limits can be stretched just a little bit further than they thought; and I love it! Now I am working both as a freelance dancer and an instructor, travelling the world, meeting new and inspiring people, doing what I love every single day, and proving to myself that hard work, dedication and drive pays off!

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It definitely isn’t a smooth road all of the time! Being a freelance dancer takes a lot of work, a lot of patience, and a lot of time when you’re building up your network and your identity as an artist. Sometimes it can feel like nothing‘s ever going to come your way, but then, which can feel all of a sudden, something clicks and all of the work that you’ve been doing starts to pay off. Also, a lot of this work is mostly done behind the scenes, so to the outside eye it might look like an effortless, smooth sailing career all of the time. But sending all the emails, trying to find people to connect to, and reminding others that you exist out there is what eventually gets the ball rolling, and then you just have to keep that momentum going! Not to mention the physical stamina that takes greats discipline to keep up to be ready to jump into projects that may come up last minute – but luckily, I love it haha! So there are definitely bumps on the road, but I think that comes with everything you do. These are the things that are also going to make you stronger and reward you in the end!

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a professional dancer, based in Iceland, but I have been working all over the place; pretty much live in a suitcase for the past three years. I go wherever the project takes me, which is a real privilege, and I am always so grateful to be able to do what I love every day, and share that with different people.
I started dancing at the age of three when my parents signed me up for my very first ballet class, and I think I instantly knew that this was the place that I belonged. I was always a very shy child and had a real fear of expressing myself through spoken word, but with dance, I could express myself in a different way and I think that still to this day is one of the reasons why I keep dancing and constantly rediscovering my love for this art form. It is very special also to be able to express something that I am feeling to an audience, but the people observing receive it and then interpret it in a way that suits them or makes sense for where they are at the particular stage in their life or during that day, so I think being able to express myself through my body and through movement is pure magic. I am most known for contemporary dance, so I specialize in that, but I have a background in ballet as well. I studied at the National Ballet School of Iceland when I was younger, and then I moved to London to study at Rambert School, which is 50-50 contemporary and ballet techniques, and and since then I’ve mainly focused on contemporary dance. However, lately I have been going back my classical roots and the pointe shoes, truly surprising myself! At the moment I’m a part of a group in Iceland that is aiming to get more neo-classical style to Iceland. It hasn’t been seen on stages there for a while, so it’s a very exciting group of a fierce ladies who are just as passionate about dance as I am.
I am also a Pilates and Barre instructor and I teach in Iceland and abroad, and this is something that I truly love to do as well. I get to offer something to people through movement, similar to dance actually, and I get to see people become stronger and more confident, and it’s a real honour to go into class and then have someone come over to you and tell you: ‘hey I feel a difference in my body and mind’, or ‘I don’t feel the ache in my back that I felt two months ago’. These are the small victories that I truly, truly love being a part of for people, and just be able to be a part of that hour or 50 minutes a day that they give and focus on themselves, to build themselves up.
I was also very fortunate to be signed by LA models, and I am incredibly excited to work more closely with them! They have a special bookings board, that allows be to highlight my abilities as a dancer and performer as well, and they truly want to highlight their models as individuals and represent everything that they have to offer. I am also excited to get to know the LA scene a bit better, so there are definitely exciting times ahead!
What am I most proud of – wow – it’s really hard to say because I’ve been part of so many special projects with so many wonderful and inspiring people! In terms of projects, there are so many that I am proud of and I hold very close to my heart but lately I have been doing a lot of reflective work and I have to say that now what I am most proud of is the hard work that I have put into my career! Seeing now very vividly how it is paying off is a very rewarding feeling, because sometimes I catch myself saying ‘oh you know, yeah I’m so lucky to be doing this’ or ‘I’m so lucky to be doing that’, but actually it has nothing to do with luck. I mean, of course, sometimes you are the right person at the right time, but fundamentally it all comes from that immense discipline that I put on myself ever since I was 10 years old up until this day today. Discipline, focus, and drive, and putting in that extra work that is needed. As I mentioned before, all the emails that I’ve been writing behind the scenes, all the work that is not visible to the outside eye, and the time I have invested in my career developent is something I am incredibly proud of. Whether it is related to the dance training itself, or to cross training, or admin work, or even to the reflective work that I have been doing a lot of lately! I have received guidance and help from some very special people Liane Aung, I have to mention her specifially as I have been doing her sessions now for a few months; working on seeing things from different perspectives aiming high! And also my parents who have been my rock from day one, in all aspects of my life.
I started putting in that extra work from a very young age – taking all of the extra classes that I could, finishing school almost 2 years early (because I finished primary school early and then I finished high school early) just to go for what I had been dreaming of striving for, and that was pursuing dance abroad. I did that and now I’m living in a suitcase, dancing all over the world taking different projects meeting inspiring people, and I am I’m just incredibly proud and grateful.

What does success mean to you?
I thought a lot about this one, and I finally think I came to a good definition. I define success as the sweetness of finishing a desired goal, at the same time you are standing on a new beginning. When you feel yourself in a continuous flow state, doing something that you have passion for, feel creative in, feel like you can reinvent yourself and see yourself continuously growing, while having the hunger to reach further and broaden your horizons – you have found success.

Pricing:

• Private lessons in pilates/dance conditioning: 105 USD
• Day rate / hourly rate: contact LA models

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.irisasmundar.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/irisasmundar/

Image Credits
Magnús Óli, Veronika Guls, Joshua Spencer, Nicolas Ipina, Stefanía Linnet, Luis Rodriguez