Pounding basslines, electronic music, a dance floor, synchronized bodies, and an elevated DJ booth. In the dance performance Avatared, the feeling of festivals and club culture is unmistakable—except for one unsettling yet liberating detail: the DJ is dancing.
In Avatared, the DJ has been given new life. For one hour, two professional dancers take over the role and become the DJ’s avatars. They begin by mixing the music from the DJ booth, interspersed with choreographed micro-performances. Parts of the choreography are designed to spread to the audience on the dance floor—a floor the avatars eventually merge with. The audience is swept up by the rhythm and invited to experience the freedom of movement and presence: get together, get moving, get avatared.
Aloun Marchal is an award-winning French dance artist, improviser, performer, and choreographer based in Gothenburg, who tours internationally.
He has previously been praised for his distinctive stage works 'Bibi Ha Bibi' and 'SonoR'. The idea for Avatared came to Aloun Marchal during the COVID-19 pandemic, as he longed for the energy of private parties with loud music and dancing.
He began reflecting on ritual dances throughout history, all the way to modern club and rave culture. He became particularly fascinated by the DJ as a contemporary stage phenomenon. There’s something static—almost authoritarian—about the DJ’s elevated position behind the booth in a club or arena. What would it look like if the DJ joined the party and took part in the dance?
Dancers:
Tanja Andersson
Mike Gamble
Aloun Marshal
Gilda Stillbäck
Ashaa Zaki
Foto: Elena Perota
Organizer: Kulturkalaset. The festival venue Kungsparken is a collaboration with Gothenburg Dance and Theatre Festival.
Also check out other Festivals in Gothenburg, Arts events in Gothenburg, Performances in Gothenburg.
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