Swedish dance criticism...

About Anna Ångström's review of Charlotta Öfverhölm's work Pas de Deux sans toi, performed at Moderna Dansteater Stockholm the 24th, 25th and 26th of September 2010. The review was published in Svenska Dagsbladet on the 26th of September 2010.

Critics like Anna Ångström, who are important references for the opinion about contemporary dance in Sweden, seem to favor an aesthetics of dance that focuses on exploring the possibilities of movement, with its different qualities, rhythms and space dynamics. The reviews often imply that dance is most powerful in its purest- 'naken alltså- state. Conversely, a work that stands there exceeding the 'balanced energy' - lagom? -of a rather calm society seems to 'be too much'. Not only is the excess and unbalance of Charlotta Ofverhölm's well acknowledged energy that which seems to bother the critic, but also the excess of theatrical devices in the work: talk with the audience, rope, music, metatheatrical allusions -when Charlotta adresses the technitian Tobbe-, irony, seriousness and so on. This heterogeneity and fragmentary quality of the work is not welcome either. What seems to be desired are qualities such as purity, balance, coherence, unity and so on. Harmony.



There are three things I would like to say about this: First, that it seems inappropiate to judge Charlotta's work in terms of its lack of 'purity and balanced energy', because her work does not belong to the well known and accepted aesthetics of 'pure dance'. Second, that if art is to have relevance for our society -Sweden-, it is crucial to encourage the political potential that art has in its 'excess and impurity'. When something looks to us as being excessive -too much-, impure, incoherent -'splittrad'-, then we are really challenging our own conformity with the functional and passive tendencies of 'social order'. Harmony does not transform!. Third, that if a constructive criticism is to be done about works that 'want to say something' like Ofverhölms' work usually are, it would be most suitable to take arguments from critical theories that problematize society. In the case of Pas de Deux sans toi, a feminist criticism could be more giving than one purely based on aesthetics.



So, What is the work Pas de Deux sans toi wanting to say? From which perspective is it saying it? What kind of assumptions is it reinforcing? How nuanced is the representation of victim and perpetrator in the relations of domination? How are the bodies and their characterizations enhancing and challenging what we take for granted in society? Is it empowering? For whom? In which way? These are just some suggestions, and I do hope to take the time to suggest answers as well. Finally, I do not mean that aesthetic criticism has no place, but I do think that its place should be given by the way in which the specific aesthetics of the work take a crucial part in the thematic that it deals with: love, sexuality, male domination, desire, etc. Having said this, I do agree with critic Anna Ångström in that something seemed weak in the integration of what felt like diverse elements: talking to the audience, using the rope, talking to Tobe, etc, etc. However, I think this apparent weakness is not about 'dispersity', but rather about a lack of intentionality. What they might need is a bit of that 'excess', which seems to be the greatest strength of this artist. Excess, conviction and radicality in the talk with the audience, the inclusion of the rope and perhaps in the metatheatrical comment to Tobe; so that these elements are as powerful as the body of the performer and its ironic gestures.


Sara Regina Fonseca

Triambulo in Abundance

The 16th of June Triambulo Ikebana will be performing the work for public space 'Urban Elf' as part of the International Dance Festival Abundance, Karlstad Sweden 2010. Concept by Max Valentin, performance by Kerstin Abrahamsson, Sara Regina Fonseca, Max Valentin and citizens.

Performance 2010-05-30 in Hagaparken

Open air performance in Hagaparken.

Performance at Högalids Kyrka

On Sunday the 2nd of May at 16.00, Sara Regina Fonseca will dance a choreography by Susanne Valentin in Högalids Kyrka Stockholm.

Performances at Balettakademin 2010-04-10 and 11

DU KAN BLI DET DU VILL BLI / Att möta verkligheten
Jens Ekbom och Sofia Harryson har utvecklat sitt samspel mellan musik och performance. Båda är verksamma i konstföreningen Blauba som har sin bas i Norrköping.
En personlig resa och iakttagelse i en intensiv upplevelse mellan performer, musiker och publik. Individers strävan och dess motsättningar, som främst grundats i samhällets former, sociala regler och normer.

MEMORIES OF CUMBIA-KUMBÉ
Sara Regina Fonseca driver performanceföreningen Triambulo Ikebana, undervisar på Balettadademien och håller med en Master-utbildning i Dansvetenskap på Stockholms Universitet. Hon har en Bachelor’s degree i Dance Theatre från Laban Centre, London. Där hon också fick “The Principal’s Award for Outstanding Achievement in Performance”.
Här presenteras biografin av Cumbia-Kumbé, ett dansverk som avslöjar motsättningar i förhållande till identitet, politik, tro och kärlek, det vill säga motsättningar i förhållande till estetik.
Koncept, koreografi och texter: Sara Regina Fonseca
Performance: Kerstin Abrahamson and Sara Regina Fonseca
Musik: colombiansk folkmusik, Lars Ekström
Foto: Pieter Ten Hoopen
Dokumentär: People and Power - Chiquita: Between life and law
Konceptuell assistans: Amra Heco

DANS OCH MUSIK IMPROVISATION
Anna Holm, Marco Vinicio Fonseca, Kerstin Abrahamson......publiken

Biljetter140 kr. eller 80 kr. (studenter). Köp din biljett vid dörren eller beställ online:
http://www.folkuniversitetet.se/Schools/BA/UI/XForm.aspx?id=180128

Performance in Uppsala 2010-03-07

Performance an audience talk arranged by Maudsart at Lilla Teatern in Uppsala.