Ludvig Daae Spiti 21-23 March 2024

Programme

About Ludvig Daae

Ludvig Daae is a choreographer and dancer based in Stockholm and Oslo. In 2017 he choreographed Cullberg at the Nobel Banquet in Blue Hallen and since then he has made commissioned works for KHiO, the Royal Swedish Ballet School and Norrdans. He is currently working on three new projects: The meaning of life, an interactive caravan park, which is a collaboration with Tove Berglund. Perfect Lovera duet collaboration with dance artist Marcus Baldemar that explores platonic love between two gay men, seen through the filter of their shared training in postmodern dance. And his latest performance, Spiti: The House of Us, which explores building, creating and moving homes. 

He has a long-term collaboration with filmmaker Joanna Nordahl and their latest show The Viral Dance last toured with Dansnät Sweden in autumn 2020 and Dansnät Norway in spring 2023. 

As a dancer, he has collaborated with Deborah Hay (USA), Mårten Spångberg (SE), Compagnie Thor (BE) and Ingun Bjørnsgaard (NO). His own performances have been presented in 14 countries at venues such as Den Norske Opera og Ballett (NO), Spielart Festival (DE), The Place (UK), Vooruit (BE), Sophiensaele (DE), Dansens Hus (SE), Gessnerallee (CH), Moderna Museet (SE), Biennale de danse de Val du Marne (FR), MDT (SE), Mousonturm (DE) and GUIdance (PT). 

In December 2015, Louis celebrated 100 performances in ten countries of his solo show. MM at the Sophiensæle in Berlin. MM has been selected as the only Nordic contribution to the international dance network Aerowaves, made the top 10 list of the best performing arts of 2014 in Portugal, and earned Ludvig the title of "one of the young hopefuls of European dance" by the German dance magazine. Tanz. In 2014, the solo was on a Norwegian tour with Riksteateret, and on a Swedish tour with Dansnät. Sweden. 

LUDVIG ON HIS ARTISTRY 

- I aim to create dance that challenges norms of masculinity and highlights softness as an alternative. Where society rewards toughness, and tries to convince me that being infallible, unaffected and impenetrable equals strength, I find strength in softness. By letting emotions into the work, trusting and leaning on each other as human beings, and letting working methods and artistic expression slide into each other, where the process becomes the product. This is particularly evident in my work as a project manager. Softness as a working method and artistic expression is opposed to today's neoliberal notions of individualism and autonomy, and becomes by definition a queer and feminist point of view. 

- By creating a scenic universe with its own rules, logic and interpersonal relationships, I let the performances challenge the structure of the world outside the theatre by acting as an alternative to the world we know. Often with "what if" as input (what if ballet looked like disco (Dance To Dance To)), what if folk dance was created today (we can do whatever you want)and always through drastic, rapid dramaturgical shifts during the performance. I actively work on avoiding traditional theatre dramaturgy, jumping between different expressions and breaking the rules I myself have built up in order to deprive the audience of their perception and understanding of how the performance will develop further, leaving them only able to take in the sense of here and now."