Photo Louise Herrche Serup
About the performance
Dansehallerne is proud to co-produce and premiere Detached from Others by Convoi Exceptionnel.
Detached from Others is a choreography of loneliness performed by Kenzo Kusuda.
Accompanied by the sound of an organ, Jon R. Skulberg and the iconic dancer Kenzo Kusuda explore the solitary body. Through Kusuda’s unique sensitivity, we catch a glimpse of the ambivalence of loneliness somewhere between self-imposed isolation and the experience of being unwillingly alone.
The organ music, composed by Lil Lacy, demonstrates her talent for crafting immersive and sensual soundscapes. In Detached from Others, she takes the organ as her point of departure – an instrument inherently solitary, confined to a single space and its reverberations, and possessing a distinct architectural and sonic presence. While an organ often plays alone, in Detached from Others it encounters itself through multiple recorded layers, intricately mixed within a quadraphonic sound system.
Detached from Others explores the universal experience of loneliness, highlighting its dual nature as both a fundamental human condition and a critical societal issue. While chosen solitude can offer a sense of peace and introspection, involuntary loneliness remains one of today’s most pressing public health challenges, with more than one in ten people feeling isolated and disconnected.
A special artistic encounter
The performance is created in close collaboration between Jon R. Skulberg, artistic director of Convoi Exceptionnel, and composer Lil Lacy. Together, they have developed new and uncompromising formats. The organist is David Bendix Nielsen, who challenges traditional perceptions of the organ. The music is recorded and mixed by the sound producer Preben Iwan, renowned for his expertise in capturing classical works in technologically innovative formats. The costume is designed by clothing designer Koh Taniguchi. The dramaturgy is developed in collaboration with Astrid Hansen Holm.
Credits
Concept, stage direction and space
Jon R. Skulberg
Dancer Kenzo Kusuda
Composer Lil Lacy
Organist David Bendix Nielsen
Music recording producer, senior head of edit, mix, and sound mastering
Preben Iwan
Costume designer Koh Taniguchi
Music editor, assistent music
recording producer
Mette Due
Dramaturge Astrid Hansen Holm
Sound technician Kristian Hverring
Producer Nikoline Jørgensen
Administration Jens Christian Jensen
International relations Sigrid Aakvik
Production Convoi Exceptionnel
Presented and co-produced by Dansehallerne
Supported by: The Danish Arts Foundation, Augustinus Fonden, Beckett Fonden, William Demant Fonden, The Danish Composers’ Association (DKF), Aage og Johanne Louis-Hansens Fond, Wilhelm Hansen Fonden. Thank you to: Vor Frelsers Kirke and Husets Teater.
About the artists
Jon R. Skulberg
Jon R. Skulberg is a Norwegian artist based in Copenhagen and the Artistic Director of Convoi Exceptionnel. Skulberg aims for his works to function as potential fitness centres for empathy, fostering a renewed understanding of the world and each other. Convoi Exceptionnel works with a movement-based and cross-aesthetic approach, creating original works at the intersection of dance, opera, music, and installation. Skulberg is educated from Norwegian Theatre Academy, Fredrikstad, Institute of Dramaturgy, Aarhus University, and Dance Studies, Copenhagen University and works as stage director, choreographer, and scenographer. In 2016, he founded Convoi Exceptionnel.
Kenzo Kusuda
Kenzo Kusuda is a Holland-based Japanese choreographer/dancer. He is a unique phenomenon in the world of dance and reveals the poetry of the dancing body in a personal and often breathtakingly intense manner. In the days he was studying economics and business management and working part-time at the fish market in Tokyo, Kusuda discovered dance as his form of expression and gained almost immediate recognition with his very personal and intense movement language. Kusuda’s work stems from a highly original imagination and aims for a communication with his audience precisely by finding a connection with their imaginative powers.
Lil Lacy
Lil Lacy is a DK/US composer and musician. She has refined her curiosity of composition and improvisation in creative collaborations of a long series of artistic projects. Lacy is Artist in Residence at the Danish Philharmonic Orchestra (2024-2027) and part of several ensembles in the Danish avantgarde scene as a vocalist and experimental cellist. She has performed and has had her music performed in Europe, America, Australia, and Japan, and has released several critically acclaimed and award-winning albums with different ensembles. Graduated in 2020 with an Advanced Postgraduate Degree in Music in Classical Composition from The Royal Academy of Music Aarhus and a recipient of the Léonie Sonning Talent prize 2020.
David Bendix Nielsen
David Bendix Nielsen is a trained organist from The Royal Danish Music Conservatory and Hochschule für Music and Theater Hamburg and debuted as a soloist in 2019. David is the organist at St. Mark’s Church in Frederiksberg and has been on the concert program in e.g. Westminster Abbey in London, basilique Sainte-Clotilde in Paris, Copenhagen Cathedral, and several European festivals. In 2018, he received the Léonie Sonnings Talent Prize, and in 2022/23 the grant “The Young Artistic Elite” from The Danish Arts Council. In 2022 David’s first organ album Bach & Pärt was released by the English recorded company Orchiud Classics. David is the artistic director of the concert series Orgeldrømme and the ensemble Arte Divine.
Preben Iwan
Preben Iwan, occupies a unique position as one of Europe’s finest producers within the classical music scene. His professional background as a French horn player, with leading positions in the Copenhagen symphony orchestras, has given him a musical base that very few producers have. Add to that a unique technical training as ‘Tonmeister’ for 10 years when employed as chief sound producer at The Danish Broadcasting Corporation, and you have a perfect classical producer. Preben Iwan’s work has led to numerous international awards and nominations, to him as well as the artists and labels he has been producing for.
Koh Taniguchi
Koh Taniguchi is a fashion designer based in Budapest. He has a Bachelor of Arts from Tokyo Mode Gakuen College of Fashion and Design. After completing one semester in the Design for Planet Master’s program at Designskolen Kolding in Denmark, he moved to Hungary. Growing up in Tokyo surrounded by technology, he has always been drawn to futuristic designs, but also value the warmth of handmade craftsmanship. He finds beauty in “imperfect completeness”— the little flaws that give things their warmth and character.
Astrid Hansen Holm
Astrid Hansen Holm is a trained dramaturg from Aarhus University and Universität Wien. Astrid works as a director, dramaturg, and stage director with a particular focus on musical narratives and productions. In addition to her work with Datterselskabet, Astrid is a freelance dramaturg, librettist, and director. She has worked with Convoi Exceptionnelle, Ruby Gamache, and Opera Nord, among others. In 2022, Astrid received a Reumert nomination for the production TYK.
Practical info
Date and time
25.2.2025, 20:00
27.2.2025, 20:00
28.2.2025, 20:00
1.3.2025, 17:00
Duration and stage 1 hour / Blackboxen
Dansehallerne’s address Franciska Clausens Plads 27, 1799 Copenhagen V
Accessibility
The venue can be accessed by wheelchair
About Dansehallerne
Dansehallerne is a national center for dance and choreography. Our focus lies in presenting and co-producing Danish and international productions for all ages. We are a gathering point for passionate dance audiences and professionals. From our center, we communicate professional knowledge of the art of dance, and we drive discussions about all aspects of the art of dance, at an intermediate level and in-depth.
Being a national center, as well as a gathering point for the local and international communities, we continuously work to ensure the best possible settings for artistic production and for the audience’s encounter with the art of dance. Every year, people from all around the country can experience the best that dance has to offer. And for several hundred artists, Dansehallerne is the yearround base and interface for professional activities within the field of dance.
Spring Program 2025
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