Working in Norway all summer, I was struck by the nearness and the immensity of nature. Forests, fjords, wind, rain, mountains... all of it, powerful and present on a daily basis. Art has this power too, but often gets caged in theaters and clubs and out of sight. So, I was very excited to work with Norwegian performers and build something electric and passionate and immense and bring it into peoples´ homes. It was like stealing fire from the gods, a furious fire... so close you can touch it, so close you feel the lightning that sparked these young performers.
Sight, sound, spirit, touch – it's a performance that leaves a trace. It reminds us what it is to feel really alive, connected, and open to new possibilities. I think my favorite moment in the process was that first moment we shifted from the studio to do a test run in a person's home - amidst that lifetime of stuff that feathers a nest, our little flock swooped in - ruffling feathers and taking space, making sense and deeply moving. It felt epic. You could sense that this performance would come to life.
Later, when I was working on Maratondansen with Teatret Vårt, we focused on exhaustion, on building a believable world. Whereas Det vi ikke ser/ Silence is more about exhilaration, about breath, about belonging, about using the body to share things for which there are no words. It only works when the performers trust the process, and these young women dove in deep. And that is apparent every time they perform it.
People often think of dance these days as TV- talent programs or halftime sports entertainment, but it is so much more than that. Precisely because it isn´t completely defined, the body can surprise you with the things it can express. So, if you can, I urge you to come, pull up a chair, and help yourself to a steaming hot cup of 'Silence'. I assure you, as they shift from room to room, the unseen world these young dancers conjure forth will knock your socks off.