THE LOVER by Bára Sigfúsdóttir
DATE: August 13, 14, 15 at 7:30 PM
MEETING POINT: Refshalevej 173A, Refshaleøen, Copenhagen (in front of Copenhagen Contemporary) MAP
WHAT: Dance
FREE
Dance of the instincts
“Men loved the Earth so much that they devoured it; they consumed it completely. Then they left because nothing remained for them. After their disappearance, nature grew and constructed new lands.”
Noémie Goudal, Les Amants
She sits completely still. Like a statue. Slowly, slowly she begins to move. An arm, a leg, a rib. More and more. A body that twists around itself, out of joints, limb by limb. Occasionally meditatively and still, other times desperately and energetically in harmony with a murmuring sound that constantly changes mood.
THE LOVER is a fascinating ritual for a body in evolution. Icelandic Bára Sigfúsdóttir grew up in close connection with nature, and in this solo she lets her body transform into the landscape around her. Like a growing symbiosis between all living things on the site. What is human, what is animal, what is nature?
The body in THE LOVER is in the grip of its instincts. It finds itself in a world that is overused, where nature is consumed by humanity. A body of flesh and blood that curiously and defenselessly explores its relationship with its surroundings. Humans are vulnerable, and so is nature. But who controls whom? A captivating and unsettling experience that brings us to a place of dissolution, where new life breaks through cracks in time.Bára Sigfúsdóttir was named Choreographer of the Year and Dancer of the Year in 2019 for THE LOVER in Iceland. The performance was created with visual artist 88888 and the Icelandic musician BORKO.
Duration: 45 minutes.
Recommended for ages 10 and up.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Bára Sigfúsdóttir is an Icelandic choreographer and dancer based in Norway. Her performances are strongly influenced by her upbringing in Iceland’s dramatic nature and reflect on the relationship between nature and society. She works with improvisation when developing works, and in THE LOVER, it is part of the performance, which is never the same in two places, but allows itself to be influenced by the specific surroundings.
Music is an important part of her performances, and she often collaborates with artists from other fields who inspire her. She has presented her works on both national and international stages and festivals.
www.barasigfusdottir.com/about
REVIEWS
With THE LOVER, Bára Sigfúsdóttir has created an enchanting choreography that begins with a quivering arm – rarely have we seen anything more fascinating than these simple movements of human muscles. You are completely absorbed when you see this enchanting human creature.
“De Morgen (BE)
“The magic of THE LOVER is that Sigfúsdóttir constructs an allegory for an ancient creation process rather than an anecdotal story: it is not a birth, but life itself that arises, in stages. The undeveloped and concentrated movement language opens up the sluices of fantasy. And paradoxically, this impersonal approach also has something spiritual about it: despite all the convincing biological explanations, origin and mortality – even in a performative context – remain a mystery. A dangerous mystery, certainly, but the way Bára Sigfúsdóttir makes this catastrophe tangible is also of great beauty.”
Theaterkrant (NL)
CREDITS
Concept, choreography and performance: Bára Sigfúsdóttir
Concept and photography: Noémie Goudal
Scenography: Noémie Goudal in collaboration with 88888
Music and sound design: Borko
Dramaturgy: Sara Vanderieck
Lighting design: Kris Van Oudenhoven
Costume: Andrea Kränzlin
Technics: Kris Van Oudenhove and/or Marlies Jacques/Bardia Mohamad/Jeroen Verrecht
Production: Curtain Call Productions
Coproduction: Workspace Brussels, TAKT Dommelhof, Vooruit (in the frame of the European Network DNA (Departures and Arrivals). Co-funded by the Creative Europe Program of the European Union.)
With the support of: wpZimmer, Dansens Hus Stockholm, de Warande, De Werf, CAMPO, Pianofabriek and Bora Bora Aarhus
Photo: Leif Firnhaber (1,5), Aëla Labbé (2,4)