Alan Lucien Øyen graduated as a dancer from the State School for Dance in Oslo, Norway in 2001. The same year Alan was granted one year apprenticeship with Carte Blanche – The Norwegian National Company for Contemporary Dance. He was soon contracted as a full time dancer with Carte Blanche and worked there until 2005, when he left to join Pretty Ugly Dance Company in Cologne, Germany. Alan also worked as a freelance artist with many choreographers, doing from performance related audience interactive pieces to theatre work. In addition to working as a performer he has been doing concept development, dramaturgy, and writing for, or in collaboration with the following choreographers: Robin Orlin, Henriette Pedersen, Amanda Miller, Karen Foss, Hooman Sharifi And James Anthony Rizzi. Øyen has won three first prizes for his work with choreography: Certamen Burgos – New York, 2008 in Spain, Dansolution, 2008 in Copenhagen, Denmark and the 2007 choreography competition at Kuopio Dance Festival in Finland. Øyen left Amanda Millers Company in 2006 to establish his own company, Winter Guests. He has completed nine pieces, including two commissions for Carte Blanche in 2008: I Wait for You… and Before Long. Øyen also created a performance for the Norwegian National Ballet, premiered September 1^st 2009. Recently he has moved into the world of theatre, working mainly with actors on stage for America – Visions of Love, a performance about American Culture premiered under the CODA – Oslo Contemporary Dance Festival, in October 2009.