ABOUT
‘Danish Dance Stories’ is an initiative by Carolina Bäckman, Andrea Deres, Stine Frandsen, and Nanna Stigsdatter – two generations of freelancing dancers and choreographers, based in Denmark. We each have experience with collective processes and self organisation and are engaged in various collegial and political initiatives and contexts, in Denmark and abroad.
From a common interest in knowledge sharing and artist-driven organisation, we have joined forces with a wish to engage and strengthen the Danish dance environment. The initiative is primarily a collegial encounter, that on the artist’s premises aims to create space for artistic sharings and collective research. Starting out with a multifaceted and fragmented mapping of stories from the Danish dance history – from a subjective and personal point of view – the ambition is to provide a fertile ground for future dance and choreography in Danish context.
We are interested in exploring what lies at the root of contemporary dance in Denmark. Who has been part of drawing the history and who is drawing it now? How can we begin a common conversation of the future, crosswise of standpoints? Danish Dance Stories is a contribution to a debate on artistic (co-)ownership, agency and affiliation. We have invited various speakers and workshop-holders that from their work and perspective will inspire a mapping out and sharing of "Danish dance stories".
WHO
Danish Dance Stories 2018 aim to include everyone with a connection to the Danish dance environment – oldies as well as newbies, active as well as retired, dancer/choreographer/performer/writer, resident in Denmark or not, Danish speaking or not – everybody who feels interested and engaged are welcome.
The Danish dance environment is and has always been international, therefore both Danish and English will serve as main languages within Danish Dance Stories.
WHY
The everyday life of Danish artists tends to be characterized by short contracts, economic uncertainty and result oriented thinking, where the artistic agenda risks drowning in administration and production work. Our experience tells us that collegial relations and artistic exchange, criss-crossing genres and generations, makes up an essential support for the precarious work situation of the artist and lay a foundation for artistic development – as well as it creates an ability to affect culture political structures.
The contemporary, choreographic dance has, as far as we can remember, had difficulties to grow strong roots within the Danish cultural environment. Freelance dance artists, as well as dance-related institutions, have built their work and praxis on a porous and ever shifting ground – for good and for bad – but from our point of view, it is difficult to establish cohesion and a stable artistic foundation without any continuity.
At this moment in time we experience a momentum in the Danish experimental performing choreographical arts, with a blossoming of new artistic collaboration and explorations. Our vision is that Danish Dance Stories will be a supporting force in this development, with the opportunity to become a recurring artist driven project, created as an alternative complement to already established structures and institutions.
MAPPING
Danish Dance Stories 2018 focuses on personal and subjective experiences and stories of artistic influences from our shared dance history. Our ambition is thereby not to write the official Danish dance history, but instead create an opportunity to discover the many multidimensional, colorful, contrasting perspectives – from the past, present and future.
DANSKEDANSEHISTORIER.DK is the virtual assembly site where documentation from both events is updated on a regular basis. Visual material, text and podcasts will form the basis for a fragmented mapping of Danish dance history, which hopefully will continue to grow.
