The Dancing public

In the face of the crises we’re living through, is dance still a tool of resilience, or at least a space for release and liberation? Inspired by the little-known history of St Vitus’ dance epidemics, Mette Ingvartsen explores the collective strength of the public to continue dancing and enjoying themselves together.

In the Middle Ages, Europe was plagued by strange cases of dancing mania. These unexplained phenomena of collective hysteria, marked by the irrepressible, contagious movements of a crowd in a trance, often followed economic, social or natural crises. These episodes of choreomania could last several weeks in the streets, sometimes until the dancers died from it. Fascinated by these still unexplained stories, the choreographer questions our relationship to dance and the need for spaces where we can physically let off steam together, where we can feel free and alive. Somewhere between a dance festival and a spoken word concert, Mette Ingvartsen imagines a wild performance in the heart of the audience, a celebration that invites us to let go.

Mette Ingvartsen

The work of choreographer and dancer Mette Ingvarsten blends performance, installation, theory and music, exploring the states of the body in its physical, organic and social dimensions. Since her early works such as 50/50 and To Come, she has been scrutinizing representations by pushing the body to its limits. With The artificial nature series, she examines the workings of complex ecosystems, and the relationship between the human and the non-human, while the series initiated with 7 pleasures or 21 pornographies examines the political and imaginary ramifications of sexuality.