Björn Säfsten ^(SWE) Haunted desires 7-8 May 2026

Programme

In a raw exploration of digital algorithms, body ideals, and the invisible communication shaping our reality, three gay men dive into their feeds by looking at what we all look at too much.Through the reflections of our screens, the choreography digs into a mass production of the material that constantly overwhelms us. From this, a choreography is born, three beings baptized in their seemingly random scrolling, abandoned in a place where the only thing they can do is practice their own language. By wallowing in their desires and inhibitions, these images and feelings are explored in a series of scenes that are as fragile as they are intense.In Haunted Desires, Björn Säfsten continues to delve into humanity’s constant failure in communication and what it does to the individual. In this piece, the gaze is specifically directed at iconography created by men who wish to be desired by other men, as the dancers arbitrarily transform select clips from the algorithms thrown at them in social media. On stage, the autobiographical merges with the fictional, the sought-after with the real, in a flicker of exposed haunted desire. The thing that you desire, perhaps you must become?

In Haunted desires Björn Säfsten continues to delve into man's constant failure to communicate and how it affects the individual. This work looks specifically at iconography created by men who want to be desired by other men. Here, the dancers have arbitrarily picked clips from the algorithms thrown at them on social media. On stage, the autobiographical mixes with the fictional, the sought-after with the real, in a hodgepodge of naked, haunted desire. Do we want to become what we consume?

Haunted desires was shown in autumn 2025 at Dansens Hus in a packed Blackbox - now the success returns to Studioscenen for two late night performances.

Hemsökt åtrå is part of STHLM DANS - an international contemporary dance festival in the Stockholm region.