HYPOGEA | Dansehallerne

HYPOGEA is a cross‑aesthetic performance exploring grief, death, and mourning through the intersection of dance, sculpture, and music.

The piece delves into the multiple experiences of grief, the hybrid existence between life and death, as well as the fragility and resilience that surfaces in the face of the grotesque. It investigates the choreographic concept of multiple or infinite endings, intertwined with a moldable clay sculpture that transforms throughout the performance, and accompanied by fragments of medieval songs and compositions. HYPOGEA seeks to create a communal space — often absent in today’s culture — where emotions can surface, be expressed, and undergo transformation through shared experience.

The term “hypogea” refers to subterranean structures such as burial chambers or catacombs. In this performance, it symbolises a metaphorical journey into the depths of the human emotions which are often hidden away.

Beyond Darkness is the artistic duo of Nadja Mattioli and Nanna Hanfgarn Jensen. Rooted in movement, performance, and ecocentric installation, our work invites audiences into immersive, sensorial landscapes where human and beyond-human perspectives intertwine. Darkness is a central force in our practice, not as absence, but as a space of heightened perception. When sight is reduced, the body begins to listen, to feel, to sense differently. In the unseen, boundaries dissolve, and imagination expands. We investigate how moving through obscurity can encourage and foster new connections between bodies, species, and the worlds we inhabit. Our performances unfold like living ecosystems — guided by darkness, transformation, and the unseen forces shaping our shared world. Inspired by fungi, flora, landscapes and microbial life, we explore the intricate entanglements between organisms, crafting experiences that reframe perspectives and challenge human-centered narratives.