When reality is art – Dance Critic’s Salon 2021

When does work go from being a story of destiny to art? And can one separate the private body from what is to be performed on stage? Is there a danger that the venues go too far in using the personal story as a sales pitch?

It is not only in literature that a wind of reality has blown in the last decade, but also in the performing arts. More and more performances are accompanied by an interview or a program text that draws lines between the work and the dance artist’s life. This development is perhaps particularly evident for solo performances where it is the performer themselves who conveys his/her own story. When viewing these performances, ethical and aesthetic quality criteria are intertwined, and it becomes interesting (and important) to discuss how the strong narratives that surround the performances affect the way they are perceived.

Before the salon, the panelists will see the performance Mountains, a solo by choreographer Jefta van Dinther created in collaboration with performer Sulelem de Oliveira da Silva – this will form a common starting point for the conversation. In part two, they will reflect on a more general level around the relationship between the choreographer / performers and works of art, and to what extent it is fruitful or at all possible to see the work in isolation from the personal story (s).

Seminaret er etter forestillingen Mountains på Dansens Hus. Billetten til Mountains gjelder begge arrangement.