The mystery of stopping

Kirsebom was educated in Amsterdam in the late 1980s, a time characterized by a personal, everyday and exploratory approach to dance. Since then, Kirsebom has been a central and important voice in the Norwegian dance scene, particularly in the development of contact improvisation and performances in public spaces.

There is a genuine vulnerability in all people, but this vulnerability is often hidden or concealed in public, the dance artist believes. By placing dance in public spaces, Kirsebom aims to create existential recognition, if only for a moment.

Her latest work, ‘The mystery of stopping,’ premieres at this year’s CODA festival and is about precisely that – stopping, both as an action and a state.

The work has been informed by experiences during the pandemic, when the entire society was confronted with the need to stop, and we could no longer continue our daily lives as before. Kirsebom is particularly interested in exploring why a stop is usually perceived and experienced as a problem rather than something valuable.

– In a society driven by constant progress, I want to turn it around: if stops are important, what happens then?

Seven co-creating dancers explore “moments without visible progress” and improvise in public space—without a safety net, openly and intimately. The unpredictable is allowed to influence the performance, and the relationship with the audience is an artistic premise. ‘The mystery of stopping’ is recreated anew each time, with only the moment mattering.

“By working with moving and stopping in hectic environments, I want to give the audience an opportunity for a different perspective on presence and awareness.”