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Home : Program : Dance |
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A Dance Tribute to the Art of Football - Norway
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| Time : |
Nov 20(Fri) 20:00
Nov 21(Sat) 15:00 [CA] |
| Venue : |
Sejong Center M Theatre |
| Ticket Price : |
General R : 50,000 won S : 40,000 won
Y/S R : 30,000 won S : 20,000 won |
| Choreographer : |
Jo Strømgren |
| Company : |
Jo Strømgren Kompani |
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A new format of performance of soccer, by soccer and for soccer that dismantles our preconceptions about soccer and dance. By dismantling the boundary between dance and sports, the production will offer the stage and the audience an enjoyable time. As soon as it was debuted, it won Norwegian Critics Award and Scandinavian selection for Bagnolet. |
"A New Paradigm in Football"
This work is a performance of football, by football and for football, never seen before. A Dance Tribute to the Art of Football (1998) is a mesmerizing display of exquisite dance dealing with the most loved sport in the world, football. A variety of movements and situations seen in football games are transformed into dance with a comic twist to reflect the energy and sweat that the sport induces. The performance earned the Jo Strømgren Kompani the Norwegian Critics Award in 1988, the same year the company was founded, and the First Scandinavian selection for Bagnolet. The premiere turned the preconceived notion of football as merely a sport for the labor class on its head. After a ten-year silence, this monumental piece is about to bring football back to the stage. This realistic portrayal of football through the dynamic movements of dancers is combined with comic elements that heighten the liveliness of the performance. By dismantling the boundary between dance and sports, A Dance Tribute to the Art of Football will come as a refreshing surprise to the Korean audience whose interest and love of football was on full display during the hosting of the World Cup 2002.
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Is it possible to talk about football without a football? If you are going to see the Jo Strømgren Kompani’s performance of A Dance Tribute to the Art of Football, you will get a definite answer to this question. Football is undoubtedly one of the most popular ball games in the world for all ages and it is no longer a game just for men. Equally, everyone regardless of age, gender or even knowledge of football can enjoy this dance performance.
On this stage turned into a football field, four football players move around the entire space running, dribbling, tackling and shooting nonstop. The entire energy of the football field where both players and fans are focused on the outcome of the game is recreated through the use of incredible sound and lighting as well as the exaggerated movements of the players. The dynamic movements of the dancers running after a non-existent ball will convince the audience that there is indeed a ball on stage. This highly charged ninety-minute performance presents everything there is to be shown about football all the way from the practice sessions and changing clothes in the locker rooms to the action on the field and the moments of exhaustion and exhilaration right after the game. Every detail related to a football game is portrayed realistically with humor not only capturing the entertainment factor of football, but also the aesthetic aspects and beauty of the sport.
The physical attributes of the male dancers, which often parallel and even rival those of actual football players, effectively relay the sense of rough and toughness involved in football. The use of slow-motion and still-cuts of actual football games accompanied by heavy music accentuates their bodies and makes them stand out. At the same time, it reveals dance as an entirely different genre compared to the fast-moving action in football games. In the last scene when the dancers are take a shower, naked and under the lights after the game is over, the audience comes to grasp with the harshness of the game and the loneliness of the football players after leaving behind the energy-filled football field.
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| Choreographer |
- Jo Strmgren
Born in 1970, Jo Strmgren spent his childhood playing football and enjoying skiing. In the 80s, he was mesmerized by dance and film, so he started taking jazz ballet lessons. He soon turned to classical ballet and contemporary dance and studied for four years at the National College of Ballet and Dance in Oslo at the age of twenty. He started his career as a dancer and choreographer at the Carte Blanche, a contemporary dance company in Norway. He also took part in pieces with the Mats Ek, Loui Jota, Galili Dance Company (Netherlands). After an injury to his right knee, he began concentrating on choreography. He earned his name as an artist with Schizo Stories, a seventy-five-minute one-man show full of dark psychology and humor. He is renowned for being the most forward-looking and successful choreographer in Norway and for pursuing diversity in terms of both style and contents in his forty dance pieces. He leaves himself open to all forms of genre and this open artistic vision has been the source for joint works with jazz and ballet ensembles. His most recent works are: Come Volcano (2008), On Air (2005) performed by Danish Royal Ballet, Last Piece by Anybody (2004) by Lang National Opera Ballet and Halfway to Reykyavik (2003) by the Helsinki Theater Dance Company. |
| Company |
- Jo Strømgren Kompani
The Jo Strømgren Kompani was set up in 1988 with funding from the government of Norway. Its intention is to produce two performances a year. The company aims to come up with repertoire that is both innovative and inspiring for performances in Norway and abroad. Its members are interested in developing their range of repertoire and adding their creative expressiveness to the pieces. The company has produced over twenty productions in forty countries. Each year, it is involved in collaboration in hundreds of performances. The company has gained both critical and popular acclaim for its innovative pieces and has grown into the most notable dance company in Norway. Beginning with its premiere of Ten Years Later at the Bergen National Theater in February 1999, it has been performing in Europe, North America, South Africa, South America and Asia. Its major pieces include The Convent (2006), Polaroid (2006), The Orchestra (2007) and The European Lesson (2007).
http://www.jskompani.no/ |
| Staff |
Set Designer : Stephan Østensen
Light Designer : Stephen Rolfe
Light Technician : Jørgen Isaksen
Sound Designer : Lars Årdal
Sound Technician : Martin Myrvold
Costume Designer : Jo Strømgren
Music : Jørgen Knudsen
Photographer : Knut Bry
Production Manager : Solfrid Glesnes
Co-Production : Riksteatret |
| Cast |
Sverre Magnus Heidenberg, Jan Nikolai Wesnes, Mikkel Are Olsen, Stian Danielsen |
Co-production :
Riksteatret
Supported by :
SPENN.no, Art Counsil Norway, Norwegian ministry for Foreign Affairs
The production is a part of The National Touring Network for Performing Arts
 
Reviews
"Its physical language is almost violent. Jo Stromgren's ability to observe is unique, recreating moment by moment the football ground of our memories."
– VG 19.02.98 (Norway)
"It's a cheeky, rumbustious celebration of the physical exuberance of football and dance. It gives a healthily humorous kick to a preconception or two about both activities, and it deftly combines maximalist movement with a minimalist score."
– The Times 03.06.99 (England)
"The gags are numerous and irresistible, but the choreographer also master the art of creating inventive movements and beautiful images, like the sequences in slow motion, the frozen pictures in the middle of the action, the pause at half time and the final tableau of the four men nude, showering in a trickle of golden light. The sport-inspired dance is muscled and violent and the four interpreters throw themselves into the game without caution, taking all the risks with intensity and incredible energy…and with evident pleasure!"
- Le Figaro 22.06.99 (France)
Awards
1998 Norwegian Critics Award for A Dance Tribute to the Art of Football
1997 1. Prize at the Scandinavian Bagnolet Platform with A Dance Tribute to the Art of Football
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