Winter guests Story, story, die 23-24 April 2021

Programme

Alan Lucien Øyen has been described as a master of storytelling. With a perfect blend of words, music and hyper-detailed choreography, with sharp shifts between the absolutely concrete and the completely abstract, he has the ability to bring to life the great questions of our time.

Alan Lucien Øyen is one of Norway's most sought-after performing artists and has attracted considerable attention both in Norway and internationally. He has the rare ability to successfully combine his versatility as a director, choreographer and playwright, always resulting in works imbued with his personal style.

Øyen's art is characterised by curiosity and courage, but also humility and complexity. With an emotional and dramatic drive and in constant pursuit of a sincere and human expression, he takes inspiration from strangers' stories, personal anecdotes and references from popular culture.

Story, story, die. is a collection of stories and fragments about man's constant search for recognition. How we organise our daily lives and stage our lives. How we relentlessly seek approval on social media as well as online. With surreal and absurd twists, Øyen highlights the dependence between lies and love. That the modern love we seek is not unconditional and that the happiness we seek is fleeting.

Interview with Alan Lucien Øyen about the work

Story, story, die. is a well-designed and impressive work for seven extraordinary dancers who have fully mastered the precision, elegance and dynamics of choreography. The choreography is fast, detailed and intricate, both acrobatic and surprising. With drastic changes of light and mood, the work is Story, story, die. a dizzying dance theatre characterised by Øyen's unmistakable aesthetic - a brilliant piece of theatre that aims for the heart and hits home.

Alan Lucien Øyen

Alan Lucien Øyen studied dance at the Oslo National Academy of the Arts. After graduating in 2001, he worked with Carte Blanche, Norway's national company for modern dance. He then moved to Germany to join Amanda Miller's Pretty Ugly Dance. In 2006, Øyen founded his own company, Winter Guests, which has enjoyed great success and toured to 16 countries on three continents.

Since 2009, Mr Øyen has worked mainly as a director and playwright. He has written six plays and won the Norwegian Hedda Prize for the five-and-a-half-hour play Coelacanth.

As of January 2013, Alan Lucien Øyen is affiliated with the Norwegian Opera & Ballet as artist in residence and house choreographer.

Credits