ON AIR

“...there was a lot of grey hair. A lot of slouched bodies, curved backs. A lot of saggy tits and droopy knees. A lot of gravity had been felt. I was there, sitting in my dream, with a small handful of old, old friends. This was a glimpse into the future, a forecast, a broadcast… “

On air is a dance performance that navigates through radio broadcasting, dancing and playing in a choreographic context. The piece works with layers and expressions that points in many directions and wants to create space for the spectators own interpretations. Four dancers are broadcasting a radio show. Four choreographers are acting in a radio play. Four singers are wrestling. On air is dancing as radio, radio as dance, radio as format, radio as scenography, choreography as radio as something that brings people together, and more than anything On air explores different ways of being together.

On air is a continuation of the work Nadja Hjorton initiated with Radio dance, her solo from 2012. Together, Nadja Hjorton and dancers/choreographers Halla Ólafsdóttir, Zoë Poluch and Jessyka Watson-Galbraith, light designer Chrisander Brun, sound designer Elize Arvefjord and dramaturg Caroline Åberg, have developed the performance through ideas, practices and approaches starting from a conversation they had in a sauna by a lake outside of Stockholm.

During the process the group have experimented with pre-recorded and live material and worked on the idea of what is seen but not heard and that which some hear but do not see. They made radio programs to try out concepts, starting with a two-week residency at PACT Zollverein in Essen, Germany. The programs you can find on SOUNDCLOUD. 

Initiated by: Nadja Hjorton
Continued and performed by: Nadja Hjorton, Halla Ólafsdóttir, Zoë Poluch, Jessyka Watson-Galbraith
Set, light, costume: Chrisander Brun
Sound: Elize Arvefjord
Dramaturgy: Caroline Åberg
Photo: Märta Thisner and Chrisander Brun
Co-production: ÖFA-kollektivet, MDT, Kunstencentrum BUDA
Residency: PACT Zollverein