Movementtalks Movementtalks

witch is an interdisciplinary annual exhibit created by dancers from around the world to raise money for charity, hosted by Nederlands Dans Theater (NL). Switch provides the dancers of NDT the opportunity to create an entire evening of art and dance. It serves as a chance to choreograph in a professional setting, take the organizational helm, and delve into the other aspects of this art form we may not always experience. It also serves as a platform for any kind of creativity.

It all started in 1988 when the dancers of NDT started informally creating their own choreographies in their free time. Interest grew and soon they decided to dedicate an evening in the studios to showcase their creations to their fellow colleagues, they called this evening ‘Workshops’. World renowned choreographers such as Paul Lightfoot, Sol León, Nacho Duato, Jorma Elo, Johan Inger and Medhi Walerski all began their choreographic careers with Switch. Over the past decades, Switch as a project has grown in both popularity and diversity, while developing into a full evening of dance. This allowed Switch to serve the greater purpose of supporting numerous charities and act as an ever-changing creative platform for all forms of artistic expression, becoming the Switch we know today.

Movementtalks had the chance to be in conversation with Cullberg managing director Stina Dahlström and choreographer Jérôme Bel. Here they share their opinion and goals concerning the emission of CO2 in the atmosphere and the contemporary world of performance.

Stina Dahlström was born in 1982 in Kiruna. She has an education in literature, dance, theatre, economics and project management at the University of Stockholm. Stina Dahlström has worked as a freelance producer, and as head of production at MDT, an international co-producing and presenting plattform for contemporary dance in Stockholm. As of 2016, Stina Dahlström is managing director of Cullberg, the national and international repertoire contemporary dance company in Sweden.

Jérôme Bel lives in Paris and works worldwide. nom donné par l’auteur (1994) is a choreography of objects. Jérôme Bel (1995) is based on the total nudity of the performers. Shirtology (1997) presents an actor wearing many T-shirts. The last performance (1998) quotes a solo by the choreographer Susanne Linke, as well as Hamlet and André Agassi. Xavier Le Roy (2000) was claimed by Jérôme Bel as his own, but was actually choreographed by Xavier Le Roy. The show must go on (2001) brings toghether twenty performers, nineteen pop songs and one DJ. Véronique Doisneau (2004) is a solo on the work of the dancer Véronique Doisneau, from the Paris Opera. Isabel Torres (2005), for the ballet of the Teatro Municipal of Rio de Janeiro, is its Brazilian version. Pichet Klunchun and myself (2005) was created in Bangkok with the Thai traditional dancer Pichet Klunchun. Follows Cédric Andrieux (2009), dancer of Merce Cunningham. 3Abschied (2010) is a collaboration between Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker and Jérôme Bel based on The Song of the Earth by Gustav Malher. Disabled Theater (2012) is a piece with a Zurich-based company, Theater Hora, consisting of professional actors with learning disabilities. Cour d’honneur (2013) stages fourteen spectators of the Cour d’honneur of the Palais des Papes in Avignon. In Gala (2015), the choreographer stages together professional people from the dance field and amateurs coming from different backgrounds. In Tombe (2016), performance created at the invitation of Opéra National de Paris, Jérôme Bel proposed to some dancers of the ballet to invite, for a duet, the person with who they would never share the stage. Posé arabesque, temps lié en arrière, marche, marche (2017) is a piece for all the dancers of the Ballet de l’Opéra de Lyon based on the famous “Entrance of the shadows” of the ballet La Bayadère. Dancing as if nobody is watching (2018) and the reading of the Lecture on nothing by John Cage call for a contemplative aesthetic attitude. With Retrospective, Jérôme Bel goes back through his video archives and makes a cross section within his corpus, to better bring out the linkage between dance and politics. Isadora Duncan (2019) paints a picture of this choreographer. In 2013 Emails 2009-2010, written with the French choreographer Boris Charmatz, is edited (Les Presses du Réel). This book is published on line and in English, still by Les Presses du Réel, in 2016.

This interview was recorded with no CO2 emission.

Interviewees: Stina Dahlström and Jérôme Bel

Concept: Giacomo Della Marina

Camera: Erica Espling and Oskar Hökerberg (Stina Dahlström)

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Whistle While You Work is a platform lead by dancers, choreographers, and artists that calls out harassment, discrimination, and violence towards women and marginalized groups particularly while at work in the arts, especially in professional dance and performance. Initiated in 2017 by writer/artist Robyn Doty and dancer/choreographer Frances Chiaverini, the platform has given Open Forums in the US and Germany; workshops at dance festivals and conferences throughout Germany and has been featured in prominent dance magazines (US, UK, EU).



Frances Chiaverini was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and she is based in Frankfurt. She is a performer, activist, choreographer.  She was a member of The Forsythe Company in its final seasons and has most recently performed with Adam Linder, Luisa Saraiva, Fabrice Mazliah, and Trajal Harrell. In 2017, she co-creates with Robyn Doty Whistle while you work. She is a 2019-20 Resident Fellow at NYU’s Center for Ballet and the Arts. She is a choreographic consultant for Anne Imhof for works at Tate Modern, The Venice Biennale, MoMa PS. 1, Pompidou, Hamburger Bahnhof, Art Basel, and La Biennale de Montréal. Her most recent works include The Body Violent (2017, PACT) Open Carry/Concealed Carry (2018), and she most recently created a new original work called It’s my house and I live here. (2019) supported by a grant from the Theaterförderung durch die Stadt Frankfurt am Main with  Julia Eichten.



Robyn Doty graduates in 2019 with an M.A. from the Goethe University Frankfurt where she studied and was active in Memory Studies and Transcultural Studies. In 2017 she co-organized a weeklong postcolonial studies Summer School about performance at the Goethe University Frankfurt. Since 2016 she has collaborated as a writer and dramaturg with BOHL (Frances Chiaverini and Katja Cheraneva); as a writer and dramaturg for Roderick George’s kNoname dance company’s DUST, FLESHLESS BEAST (Berlin); and with Katja Cheraneva on Cards Against Contemporary Dance. She has shown her own work at the Goethe University and has had her poetry and photography published by Belleville Park Pages. She is the project manager and dramaturg for Whistle while you work. She collaborated with Chiaverini for the creation of It’s my house and I live here., and is Chiaverini’s collaborator during their NYU CBA Fellowship in 2020. 



Julia Eichten danced with Camille A. Brown & Dancers, as well as Aszure Barton & Artists. Julia was a founding member of L.A. Dance Project. Based in Los Angeles, Julia continues to work with Gerard & Kelly as a performer and collaborator. Last year she assisted them on Solange’s collaboration with Uniqlo, “Metratronia” as well as a month of performances at Pioneer Works(NY) in, “Clockwork.” Julia is a proud founding member of AMOC* as a dancer and choreographer. Most recently Julia danced in Carly Rae Jepsen’s latest video, “Too Much” as well as working as an assistant choreographer for One Republic’s yet to be released new music and video, “Wanted.” As well as premiering two new original works, “She is Her,” at the Sweat Spot and “PHRASEHXR” at Highways Performance Space. She continues her daily practice of improvisation and video art and is pleased to have premiered with collaborator Frances Chiaverini earlier this season.



Contact: http://www.nobody100.com/contact



Website: www.whistlewhileyouwork.art



Interviewee: Frances Chiaverini, Robyn Doty, Julia Eichten



Concept: Giacomo Della Marina

Born in Barcelona, Spain, Daniel Mariblanca Sirmans began his professional dance career immediately after graduating from the L'Institut del Teatre in Barcelona. In 2016, after 15+years of dancing professionally around Europe, Daniel joined Carte Blanche. At the beginning of his gender transition, Daniel founded 71BODIES, a transgender inclusive professional dance and performance company based in Bergen, Norway. The company was born out of an urgency to both understand and document the complexities that lie within the transgender identity.



Photo: Skjalg Ekeland/BA

Boston Gallacher (25) is a contemporary dance artist originating from Glasgow, Scotland and currently working at Nederlands Dans Theater. They place importance on improvisation and imagery and endeavour towards a more inclusive working environment. As the first non-binary dancer at NDT they are shaping what it means to be non-binary in such a long standing institution and intend to implement enduring change in the system.

Arika Yamada is a coach and a professional dancer.
In 2020 Arika founded the AHA room, a coaching practice that works with High Performers, Artistic Leaders, and Creative Minds. Identifying, cultivating and nurturing one’s unique identity in order to perform at their best.

Arika Yamada was born in Detroit, Michigan, USA in 1987 to her parents who moved to Detroit from Japan in the mid 80’s.

She received her early training from The Joffrey Ballet School, Nutmeg Conservatory and EDGE Performing Arts Center in Los Angeles. In her teens she’s was represented by Bloc Agency and appeared in a European Coca-Cola Commercial. Her mentor and coach Elena Tchernichova privately trained her in NY and brought her to St. Petersburg Russia at the age of 15 where she was invited to train at The Vaganova School.

In 2009 Arika received her BFA from The Juilliard School under the directorship of Lawrence Rhodes. Upon graduation she joined Gallim Dance in NY and originated roles in multiple works with Andrea Miller such as ‘Wonderland’ which she has received recognitions for in The New York Times. In 2012 she also performed with Company XIV, a 28 show run at The Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

In 2013 Arika crossed the pond to Holland to join Spenser Theberge at Korzo Theater (Den Haag) where he created ‘I Saw, She Saw’ which they performed as a part the production ’ Here We Live and Now.’
Arika was invited to audition for GöteborgsOperan Danskompani which she joined during season 2013/2014 under Adolphe Binder, and in the present with director, Katrin Hall.
In Göteborg Arika originated roles in creation with choreographers such as Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Damien Jalet, Alan Lucien Oyen, Marina Mascarell, Marcos Morau, Michael Keegan Dolan, Wang/Ramirez, and Alexander Ekman. She has also reinterpreted repertoires of Ohad Naharin, Sharon Eyal, and Crystal Pite. She has performed Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui’s ‘Noetic’ 100+ through Europe.
As a creator Arika has been commissioned by GöteborgsOperan to co-create ‘Many Much More’ with Spenser Theberge, and ‘Try not to spill’ with Dorotea Saykaly. in 2015 Open Look Festival in St. Petersburg, Russia commissioned Arika and her partner Jim De Block to make ‘Digressing from the 4 Tons of Grey.’ In 2016 Arika, Jim, and co-creator Oleg Stepanov were invited to create a full length, site specific work by Chalmers University of Technology at their 3 day festival hosted by the Department of Architecture and the Department of Physics. Since 2016 Arika and Jim has been curating a creative platform called If We, Then which gathers artists with varied mediums to share space and process together.