17 May

18:00

Theater Kikker

Ganzenmarkt 14, Utrecht

Six performers pull you into a restless whirlwind of dance and sound inspired by Norwegian folk myths. This queer performance explores the body as a place of ambivalence, where identity and power are constantly in motion.

Sweet Spot

More info & tickets

Six performers pull you into Sweet Spot, a restless whirlwind of dance and sound. Inspired by Norwegian folk myths, a traditional chain dance transforms into a seductive current, where dance and fleeting fictions emerge and submerge. Accompanied by the penetrating sounds of the Hardanger fiddle, this queer performance explores the body as a place of ambivalence—a place where identity and power are constantly in motion and transforming.

In the dance performance Sweet Spot, six dancers transform a traditional Norwegian chain dance into a wild, hypnotic whirlwind. The starting point is the leikarring, a folk dance where dancers form a circle hand in hand. Beharie pulls this tradition apart, letting the chain dance culminate in a possessed ritual where control is completely released.

The performance is based on legends of dancers taken over by demonic melodies; think of the myth of the red shoes that never stop dancing. It is a battle of attrition where the dancers balance between explosive outbursts and tender surrender. Here, Norwegian folklore is not treated as a fixed entity, but as something that can be bent and stretched.

This approach is also reflected in the music. Composer Ingvild Langgård reworks the sounds of the traditional Hardanger fiddle into a compelling, modern soundtrack. Visual artist Karoline Bakken Lund designed an environment where objects and materials sometimes support and sometimes oppose the dancers. Sweet Spot is the final piece of a trilogy about the queer body and explores how ecstasy and surrender to a group can lead to new forms of togetherness.

Post-show Talk

On Saturday, May 16, there will be a post-show talk with Harald Beharie.

Content / Trigger Warning

This performance contains extensive nudity.

Credits

Concept & Choreography: Harald Beharie
In collaboration with / artistic research: Karoline Bakken Lund
Performers: Loan Ha, Carlisle Sienes, Harald Beharie, Amie Mbye Irene Theisen and Ester Thunander
Scenography & Costume: Karoline Bakken Lund
Light Design: Ingeborg Staxrud Olerud
Music: Ester Thunander
Music by: Ester Thunander, Ingvild Langgård, Carlisle Sienes and traditional Norwegian music.
Sound Design: Gunnar Innvær
Facilitator / Dramaturg: Deise Nunes
Intimacy Coordinator: Lexie Koren
Production: Kristina Melbø Valvik
Tour: Damien Valette
Co-producers: Dansens Hus, Oslo, Rosendal Teater (Trondheim), RAS (Sandnes), BIT Bergen Internasjonale Teater (Bergen), Arsenic – Centre d’art scénique contemporain (Lausanne), SPRING festival (Utrecht), Zodiak – Centre for New Dance, Helsinki (Helsinki), MDT (Stockholm)
Residency support: Fabbrica Europa (Florence), Kaserne (Basel) and Kilden (Kristiansand)
Supported by: Norwegian Art Council and Kristiansand Municipality