TURBO GEN is a co-production program developed to kickstart the innovation of dance and choreography in Denmark. With TURBO GEN, Dansehallerne is putting together a system to upgrade and upscale projects as well as reach an even bigger audience, both in the short term and in the long run.
As such, the program serves several purposes:
- To improve the existing dance ecosystem, with a particular focus on
- Supporting the most promising choreographers and providing them with a firm footing.
- Expanding and securing the presentation of dance productions throughout the country.
- Implementing and expanding an international model for co-productions in Denmark.
- Activating and expanding the already strong and international network of Dansehallerne by the means of increased visibility of Danish dance and choreography.
The TURBO GEN-program provides an extraordinary experience for participants and is tailored to individual needs. Dansehallerne provides a solid foundation for participants’ project by co-producing their work and ensuring that performances are anchored and touring nationally and internationally. Dansehallerne is present every step of the road, and actively helps the artist create a sustainable and long-term strategy. In other words, TURBO GEN is a program that speeds up an entire system: A turbo generator for the new and promising generations.
Specifically, one producer from Dansehallerne will be attached to a project and follow it all the way through from idea to establishment, to realization, and even to the performances that follow. In other words, Dansehallerne provides a production framework and supports both the idea and the new and promising artists from beginning to end – including by providing the professional resources and skills that do not directly appear in a budget. The production is both the “pivotal point” of the development of Dansehallerne and the implementation of a co-production model which the organization will carry on and expand to other Danish co-productions. As such, TURBO GEN is intended to qualify the co-production model for a large number of key actors in Denmark, and the generous investment in the project is therefore also an investment in the development of a sustainable model.
Pilot Project: THE BIG SHOW by Lydia Östberg Diakité and BamBam Frost
This Pilot Project for TURBO GEN is the first testing of the intentions, strategy, and goals of the co-production program. The purpose of the pilot project is to elevate promising and significant artistic talent and make it an entry point for dialogue with existing and potential Danish performers and thus potential co-producers. Consequently, Dansehallerne is exploring both the ripeness of the environment for the expansion of the co-production model and the potential opportunities and challenges connected with this.
The pilot project is the performance THE BIG SHOW by Lydia Östberg Diakité and BamBam Frost. Two promising choreographers who represent an alternative presence on stage; the performance fills a gap and is increasingly requested by audiences, underlining the huge international potential of their work.
THE BIG SHOW explores the types of dancing that have been created through play, joy, and desire in spite of surrounding structures of oppression. It uncovers how these have been and still are used as concrete suggestions for the future. Lydia and BamBam explore dance rooted in black feminist history and the relationship between dance and historical freedom movements. The choreographers are inspired by black feminist thinkers and sci-fi. By building on liberating and provocative expressions of dance from the past and the present, Lydia and BamBam seek to unite in the world of dreams and create a fictive realm together, in which life is guided by alternative laws and orders. The showpiece is a commentary on the present and a suggestion for change inspired by the following quote: “How can we make social justice the most pleasant human experience?” (Adrienne Maree Brown: “Pleasure Activism”).
The pilot project involves a residency, a mentoring process, a strategic feedback session on the artistry and national anchorage. A long-term goal is also to anchor the artists internationally.
Project collaborators
• Nordberg Movement
• MDT Stockholm
• Atalante
• Dansstationen
• NorrlandsOperan