If This | Then
Urtegata 11
18. October - Kl 17.30
19. October - Kl 19.00
A raw, unpolished industrial warehouse and a massive sound installation consisting of 24 speakers form the starting point for a new dance piece by Lisa Colette Bysheim.
“If the first sentence doesn’t pull you in, then words consistently contain but are empty.”
‘If This | Then’ is a site-specific work at Urtegata 11. Through an immersive sound experience, and the fusion of voice and movement, three performers question, challenge, and reconstruct hierarchies engrained in language.
By starting from the spaces before meaning arises – the unfinished, unresolved, and undigested – the dancers play with the very fabric of linguistic expression. Vigorous voices spill through the space, words are fragmented thrown around. The dancers unite in living tableaus as they experiment, recycle, and reconstruct text, sound, and voice.
‘If This | Then’ is a new work by Lisa Colette Bysheim (1991) that embraces her choreographic practice of working with language, navigating through layers of meaning and questioning power relations. Though playful scenarios, Bysheim explores the containers of language and the preconceived attitudes that govern our linguistic and societal norms.
The piece premieres at this year’s CODA festival.
About the choreographer
Lisa Colette Bysheim’s (1991) artistic practice unfolds in several constellations, both as a choreographer and performer. She is driven by feminist methods that examine power dynamics, particularly the nuances of soft power as a persuasive and seductive force. Bysheim holds a master’s degree in choreography from the Oslo National Academy of the Arts in 2021.
Among her latest choreographic works are Blue Carousel (2024) and In-Betweenness (2021).
Her choreographic work has been presented at venues including the Norwegian National Ballet, BIT Teatergarasjen, Dansens Hus Oslo, CODA International Dance Festival, Galleri F15 & Momentum (Moss), Officine Forte Marghera (Venice), Dance Festival Malta (Malta), among others. International residencies include Onassis AIR in Athens, SE.S.TA in Czech Republic, Tanz Fabrik Berlin, and Bears in the Park in Vienna. Lisa received a three year working grant from the Norwegian Arts Council, 2024 – 2026.