Lia Jacobi
Photo
About the performance
The body is in flight even when it sinks in the darkest hour. In the dance performance AIR BODY SAD, BritishAmerican choreographer Malik Nashad Sharpe and Norrdans invite the audience into a world of dark fantasy and horror. Here, every movement is a struggle between despair and hope. Through rhythmic and intense choreography, the work explores the boundaries of the body and what happens when it moves at the intersection of haunted margins and shiny popular culture.
Coloured by the intense fragility of coming of age films, AIR BODY SAD reflects the time in life when everything is uncertain, too much, too close. A time when the body is fumbling for belonging and harbours an inner rebellion that cannot be tamed.
Norrdans meets Malik Nashad Sharpe in a collaboration that challenges both traditions and senses. Together with an artistic team that moves effortlessly between art and popular culture, an experience is created in which melancholy and despair are not just goals, but starting points for finding light in the darkness.
AIR BODY SAD is created in the the celebration of Norrdans’ 30th anniversary – three decades of exploring the power of movement, challenging norms and inviting unexpected encounters between body, heart and mind.
Artist Talk
On 20 October from 19:00–19:30, audiences are invited to an artist talk and introduction to AIR BODY SAD in the foyer. Participants in the talk are Malik Nashad Sharpe, choreographer, and Martin Forsberg, Artistic Director of Norrdans. The talk will be moderated by Nina Rasmussen, part of the curator team for the Arts & Activism program at Roskilde Festival.
Trigger warning
The performance contains smoke, strobe lighting, theater blood, and simulated violence.
Dancers/Norrdans
Credits
Viktoria Andersson, Gorik Bellemans, Ruben Brown, Silas da Silva Roller, Alvilda Faber Striim, Kaelin Isserlin, Kevin Julianto, Sierra Kellman, Sofia Larriera, Ellie Vermunt
Choreography and lighting design Malik Nashad Sharpe
Music direction
Set design
Costume design
Composer
Tabitha Thorlu-Bangura
Felix Villiers
Erik Annerborn
Luke Blair
Produced by Norrdans
About the artists
Norrdans
Norrdans is one of Sweden’s largest dance companies based in northern Sweden. An epicentre for contemporary dance and choreography in all its magnificent forms. From the company’s home in northern Sweden, they create and perform for the whole of Västernorrland and regularly go on national and international tours. You can meet Norrdans on stage, on the street, at school, at work – well, anywhere and now for the first time in Dansehallerne.
www.norrdans.se/en
Malik Nashad Sharpe
Malik Nashad Sharpe is a British-American choreographer and performance artist known for his experimental and politically thoughtprovoking work. With an ability to move seamlessly between genres such as music videos, fashion campaigns and contemporary dance, Sharpe challenges traditional notions of dance and choreography. Sharpe’s work often focuses on identity and power structures, exploring the body’s relationship to politics and society and has been recognised for its deep and reflective approach to contemporary issues of power, sexuality and identity.
www.maliknashadsharpe.com
Practical info
Dates and times
20.10.2025, 20:00
21.10.2025, 20:00
22.10.2025, 14:00
Duration and stage
1 hour 5 minutes in Hallen
Atist talk & introduction
20.10.2025, 19.00-19.30
Accessibility
The venue is wheelchair accessible, with an elevator providing access to the stages. All restrooms are genderneutral, and an accessible toilet for wheelchair users is available.
Dansehallerne’s address
Franciska Clausens Plads 27, 1799 Copenhagen V.
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 year-round base and interface for professional activities within the field of dance.
Performance Program
