Johansson's geraniums and dance

The work is based on how children aged 1-3 years relate to their surroundings and the creative process will begin in the meeting with the target group and an exploration of different ways of being together. Reality is round wants to invite the senses and let the bodily experience take place. The ambition is for the children to own the moment and have the right to inhabit the centre of the room.

Actors in the work are dancer Linnéa Sundling and musician Brenda El Rayes, who will use movement and sound as tools to hold the space and facilitate the moment. The performance is created by choreographers Karin Wiklund and Annica Styrke from Johanssons pelargoner och dans, in collaboration with scenographer Agnes Östergren who will create a space that invites interaction and meetings between the participants in the work. Objects in the space will serve as relationship-building bridges between actors and audience members. The project team also includes Mira Svanberg (lighting designer), Clara Bankefors (producer) and Anna Haglund (artistic sounding board).

An important part of the project is to expose and address the power relations between children and adults, and between participating audiences and creators. Inspired by Jonna Bornemark, this will be explored using the concept of asymmetrical ethics, which is based on the recognition of the undeniable asymmetry of certain relationships. At the heart of asymmetrical ethics is the notion that those with more power must be better at listening. In the creation of Reality is round the artistic team will immerse themselves in listening and explore how the actors in the work can embody an asymmetrical ethic.

About Johansson's geraniums and dance

Johanssons pelargoner och dans is a performing arts group and a production platform with over 12 years of experience in performing arts and dance education with a special focus on children and young people. They create performing arts where the audience is involved and where the focus is on the bodily experience of the participants. Among other things, they have created the performance Choreographer (2016), which has been performed over 600 times and has been selected for Bibu 2018 as well as Ice hot, Swedish Dance at Tanzmesse and Young Swedstage 2022. In relation to the performance, the methodological development project Choreography - interactivity, language and interaction where the performance was translated into 15 languages. The project also published the book Anthology for multilingual performing arts (ed. Haglund, Styrke & Wiklund 2020) - a collection of newly written texts on multilingualism, translation, power, identity and participatory performing arts. Johansson's geraniums and dance were the 2021 performing arts residencies at Södertörn University. Annica Styrke and Karin Wiklund - choreographers, dancers and dance educators trained at the School of Dance and Circus - are the organisers of Johansson's Pelargons and Dance.