CODA 2024, thank you for this year!

Dear audience. For ten days, we transformed the capital into not just a festival, but a vivid meeting place for dance art.

This year’s CODA program was without a doubt a hit with the audience; tickets sold out quickly, performances played for full houses, and the post-show discussions attracted many engaged listeners. There were even audiences asking for autographs!

We have had great visibility in the public sphere, with fantastic responses from the audience, as well as excellent reviews and media coverage. We presented several performances in alternative spaces and placed a strong emphasis on world premieres. CODA’s accessibility efforts have been more extensive than ever before. Our vision of inclusive dance art continues to set new standards in 2024.

We would like to thank all our partners, artists, and audiences who together have contributed to creating many new festival memories.

What stands out as the highlights of this year’s CODA Festival? It is clear that new times create new premises for performing arts, and that more artists wish to use spaces in innovative ways.

Nothing warms our CODA hearts more, as we have, since the festival’s inception in 2002, been dedicated to increasing visibility; organizing dance in public spaces, creating spectacular experiences for a broader audience—in short, showing just how relevant contemporary dance can be.

– Several of this year’s performances spoke directly to the audience, and it was wonderful to see this executed in different ways, says Stine Nilsen, who programmed her final festival as the artistic director of CODA this year.

– I love seeing the audience engaged in different ways; Sindri through physical movement and laughter, and Lisa through a desire to understand the intensity between the dancers and the audience.

By bringing dance into new contexts, artists show that art and culture can contribute positively to society on their own terms. Many of this year’s dance performances have brought together and engaged people in new experiences, from ritualistic sauna experiences to site-specific performances at the Storo shopping center. We even involved audience members as extras in contemporary dance pieces!

– I am particularly pleased that several artists this year invited us into their works to inclusive spaces for shared experiences, says Festival Director Birgit Berndt.

– There have been connections to some of society’s greatest challenges, like Roza Moshtaghi and Lykourgos Porfyris’ work, and Mia Habib’s mourning rituals. Also through pieces in unexpected locations that remind us of everyday poetry, such as Haugen/O Shea’s sauna experience and Katrine Kirsebom’s interventions in the bustle of the shopping center.

‘Samkome’ stood out as an important collective ritual that attracted many audience members and received significant media attention. Klassekampen reviewer Mariken Lauvstad described the initiative as highly successful: “‘Samkome’ is an attempt to create a space for collective mourning that society lacks. It is thought-provoking, painful, and cathartic.”

This year’s program has had an extensive focus on accessibility, with a forward-looking perspective. We hosted uncompromising artists who have developed their own inclusive practices—from Australian Marc Brew to Finnish Janina Rajakangas.

We believe that some of Europe’s most exciting and innovative dance works are created by and with artists with disabilities. Throughout 2024, we have therefore made provisions for artists from our partner countries to meet in laboratories to exchange experiences—not only concerning accessibility but also to enhance and elevate artistic quality.

As a festival, we are conscious of our responsibility and committed to discussing how we can contribute to the field beyond being a showcase platform.

Our participation in Europe Beyond Access (EBA) is a good example of how we work year-round, not only to present relevant dance art but also to create national and international collaboration opportunities, presentation platforms, meeting spaces, networks, and arenas for sharing resources.

As part of Europe Beyond Access, we facilitated two artistic labs during the festival this year. The labs are crucial for empowering the artists. Not to contribute to increased accessibility in society— but rather, accessibility is needed to provide equal opportunities and strengthen the artistic practices.

The EBA-laboratories are dedicated to artists with disabilities at various stages in their careers—both emerging artists and more established ones who are ready to take the next step. It is nothing short of monumental to be part of facilitating the future of dance art.

Last but not least, this year’s CODA Festival has focused heavily on world premieres. This is something we at CODA must continue to support. By investing in new projects and young talents, we aim to create more opportunities for a new generation of dance artists, both locally and internationally.

 

In the time ahead, you will be able to read more about the past year and the year to come—about exciting collaborative projects, new initiatives, and relevant artistic endeavors that, in various ways, represent our visions. Thank you for this year!