Choreographer, filmmaker, dancer, and recipient of a 2019 John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship, Pontus Lidberg has established himself as a visionary artist who blends dance and film.
Pontus Lidberg is artist-in-residence with Harvard Medical School’s Media, Medicine, and Health program, and based at ArtLab this year. He originally trained in medicine and completed several years of medical school before turning fully to choreography. Across his stage and film work, he develops movement-based narrative structures that carry emotional, psychological, and even clinical themes without relying on spoken language. He describes this as a “narrative logic” beyond literal story, built through embodied consequence rather than plot. This nonverbal storytelling is central to On the Nature of Rabbits, his La Biennale di Venezia commission, in which dreamlike scenes trace childhood mementos, sexuality, and the lingering impact of the AIDS era.
Each year, the Master’s Program in Media, Medicine, and Health (MMH) invites a distinguished artist to join as artist-in-residence, guiding students as they create projects that harness the power of the arts to promote health equity and improve access to care. This year, MMH welcomes Pontus Lidberg—a globally acclaimed dancer, choreographer, and filmmaker. Lidberg will mentor students and teach a course exploring how dance can offer fresh perspectives on health and healing. Throughout the year, he will also host a series of conversations with fellow dancers and artists, examining how the arts can inspire bold and creative responses to disparities in healthcare. – Neal Baer, M.D. Co-Director, M.S. in Media, Medicine, and Health Program, Global Health and Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Born in Stockholm, Pontus Lidberg is a prominent figure on the international choreographic scene. Trained at the Royal Swedish Ballet and the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse in Paris, he furthered his education at the University of Gothenburg. He has created more than 40 works for institutions such as New York City Ballet; Paris Opera Ballet; Martha Graham Dance Company; Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo; Semperoper Ballet Dresden; Royal Swedish Ballet; Royal Danish Ballet; Le Ballet du Grand Théâtre de Genève; Beijing Dance Theatre; and the National Ballet of Cuba—as well as for his experimental concert group, Pontus Lidberg Dance.
Pontus Lidberg is also a filmmaker, offering an innovative approach that combines dance theatre, film, and visual arts. His projects often use camera, architecture, and layered time structures to extend choreography beyond the stage.
Public program: Dance on Camera: Screening of “Labyrinth Within” with Pontus Lidberg – September 18, 2025 at 6:00 PM ArtsThursdays