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Welcome to Dansehallerne Welcome to OPENINGS 2026 This is the second time we invite you to our festival, OPENINGS. The first time was two years ago, when we also opened this beautiful house for contemporary dance. We opened the house with a festival. But the S in the name tells the story. S is plural. We are not only opening. We present openings. Contemporary Dance is made up of two very abstract concepts. Contemporary moves all the time. Now. Now. Now. And now. So there cannot be a fixed definition. And Dance. Dance is a verb. To dance is something we do. It does not take skill, and it has many different connotations. Animals do it. Babies do it. Still we talk about dancing as if it is something you can or cannot do. Either you are a dancing body or you are dead. Are not, basically.
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But Dance is more than that. Dance is also an art form. And if you put it together with Contemporary, most people know that it is the art form we are talking about. And within this art form there are so many different strains. It could be genre-built. It could be community-based. It could belong to a certain tradition. It could be the direct opposite of a certain tradition. And then there is you. The seer. The audience. The presence. What you bring with you are your preconceptions, prejudices, and emotions. You meet the work and the workers. And, in a sense, you make the work appear. The S. The plural. It emphasizes that contemporary dance is many things and needs a very broad scope of viewers and encounters. Different bodies express different things. Different traditions unlock different locks. We hope you find your key.
Danjel Andersson, Director of Dansehallerne
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Public program OPENINGS 2026 From 9–19 September, OPENINGS 2026 offers performances, dance films, artist talks and conversations, alongside a program of social events - from the Opening Reception to Kids’ Disco, DJs, and the Closing Party. TIME
TYPE
TITLE
ARTISTS
VENUE
12:00–20:00
Cinema
Re-forming Glaciers etc.
Maliina Jensen
Studio 2
15:00–16:30
Conversation
Yes! 20 years later
Mette Ingvartsen, Danjel Andersson
Foyer
17:00–17:45
Performance
SOIL
AVIAJA Dance
Studio 4
18:00–18:25
Artist talk
SOIL
Sarah Aviaja Hammeken & Siri Paulsen
Foyer
20:00–20:45
Performance
Michel – The Animals I Am
Chiara Bersani
Blackboxen
12:00–23:00
Cinema
Re-forming Glaciers etc.
Maliina Jensen
Studio 2
17:00–17:45
Performance
SOIL
AVIAJA Dance
Studio 4
18:00–18:45
Performance
Michel – The Animals I Am
Chiara Bersani
Blackboxen
20:00–21:15
Performance
SKATEPARK
Mette Ingvartsen
Hallen
21:15–23:30
Reception
Opening Reception
DJ MOF!YAH
Foyer
12:00–20:00
Cinema
Re-forming Glaciers etc.
Maliina Jensen
Studio 2
17:00–17:45
Performance
SOIL
AVIAJA Dance
Studio 4
18:00–18:45
Performance
Michel – The Animals I Am
Chiara Bersani
Blackboxen
20:00–21:15
Performance
SKATEPARK
Mette Ingvartsen
Hallen
21:30–21:55
Artist talk
SKATEPARK
Mette Ingvartsen & Rasmus Ölme
Hallen
12:00–18:00
Cinema
Re-forming Glaciers etc.
Maliina Jensen
Studio 2
14:00–14:45
Performance
Michel – The Animals I Am
Chiara Bersani
Blackboxen
15:00–15:25
Artist talk
Michel – The Animals I Am
Chiara Bersani & Janne W. Kristensen
Blackboxen
15:00–18:00
DJ
DJ Danjel Andersson
Foyer
16:00–17:15
Performance
SKATEPARK
Mette Ingvartsen
Hallen
18:00–18:45
Performance
SOIL
AVIAJA Dance
Studio 4
9 SEPT
10 SEPT
11 SEPT
12 SEPT
4
16 SEPT 12:00–20:00
Cinema
Re-forming Glaciers etc.
Maliina Jensen
Studio 2
17:00–18:00
Performance
Never the Same Selves
Tim Matiakis
Studio 4
18:05–19:05
Performance
SHOUT
Jens Trinidad
Blackboxen
19:20–19:45
Artist talk
SHOUT
Jens Trinidad & Anastasija Olescuka
Blackboxen
20:00–21:10
Performance
umuko
Dorothée Munyaneza
Hallen
12:00–20:00
Cinema
Re-forming Glaciers etc.
Maliina Jensen
Studio 2
17:00–18:00
Performance
Never the Same Selves
Tim Matiakis
Studio 4
18:05–19:05
Performance
SHOUT
Jens Trinidad
Blackboxen
20:00–21:10
Performance
umuko
Dorothée Munyaneza
Hallen
21:25–21:50
Artist talk
umuko
Dorothée Munyaneza & Maji Claire
Hallen
12:00–20:00
Cinema
Re-forming Glaciers etc.
Maliina Jensen
Studio 2
17:00–18:00
Performance
Never the Same Selves
Tim Matiakis
Studio 4
18:05–19:15
Performance
umuko
Dorothée Munyaneza
Hallen
20:00–21:10
Performance
blackmilk
Tiran Willemse
Blackboxen
21:25–21:50
Artist talk
blackmilk
Tiran Willemse
Foyer
11:00–19:00
Cinema
Re-forming Glaciers etc.
Maliina Jensen
Studio 2
11:00–13:45
Disco
Kids’ Disco
DJ Danjel Andersson
Foyer
14:00–14:25
Performance
Waterkind
Land Before Time
Hallen
15:00–16:00
Performance
Never the Same Selves
Tim Matiakis
Studio 4
16:15–16:40
Artist talk
Never the Same Selves
Tim Matiakis & Andrea Moreno
Studio 4
17:00–18:10
Performance
blackmilk
Tiran Willemse
Blackboxen
19:00–19:25
Performance
Waterkind
Land Before Time
Hallen
19:30–23:00
Party
Closing Party
DJ Andersson & DJ Land Before Time
Hallen
23:00–00:00
Party
The party continues
17 SEPT
18 SEPT
19 SEPT
Foyer
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Professional program OPENINGS 2026 As part of OPENINGS 2026, Dansehallerne offers a series of events for dance and performing arts professionals, including talks, workshops and professional training - creating space to meet, exchange and move together.
DATE/TIME
TYPE
TITLE
ARTISTS
VENUE
Workshop
strange songs
Claire Vivianne Sobottke
Studio 3
Training
Da Da Dans
Lúa Mayenco
Studio 3
Workshop
SKATEPARK Workshop
Fouad Nafili
Studio 3
Conversation Circle
Representation and Equity in the Performing Arts
Chiara Bersani, Anna Katrine Korning, etc.
Studio 3
Workshop
Architectures of Affect
Mette Ingvartsen
Studio 3
Training
Kicking back
Jens Jeffry Trinidad
Studio 3
Training
Move / Choose / Explore
Nikoline Due
Studio 3
EDN Panel Talk
Who and What Gets a Place in the Performing Arts?
Erik Pold, Maji Claire, Lili Blum & Linh Le
Studio 3
3–4 SEPT 12:30–16:30 7-11 SEPT 10:00-11:30 8 SEPT 11:45–13:00 11 SEPT 13:00-16:00 12 SEPT 11:00–14:00 14-16 SEPT 10:00-11:30 17-18 SEPT 10:00-11:30 19 SEPT 15:30–16:30
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Highlighted events OPENINGS 2026 Performance Introductions
09-19.09.2026 /5 minutes /Foyer Right before all performances, we offer an introduction in the foyer. The introduction is given by Emma Castro Møller and will be in English. For Skatepark, the introduction is projected in Danish and English.
Opening Reception
10.09.2026 / 21:15 / 2h 15 min /Foyer Following Skatepark, Danjel Andersson will welcome guests, artists, and colleagues to Dansehallerne, followed by DJ MOF!YAH, drinks and good company. A chance to meet, connect and raise the glass to OPENINGS 2026. About DJ MOF!YAH: DJ MOF!YAH lives up to her name – “More Fire” – bringing warm, vibrant energy and high-energy sets to every stage. Based in Copenhagen with Rwandan roots, she blends Afrobeats, Amapiano, Hip Hop, R&B, Pop, EDM, and Reggaeton and has made her mark on both national and international stages. DJ MOF!YAH doesn’t just play music – she creates a vibe. It’s always More Fire.
Kids’ Disco
19.09.2026 / 11:00 / 2h 45 min / Foyer Bring the kids for a festive daytime disco in Dansehallerne’s foyer and let loose to great dance music for both kids and adults. Dansehallerne’s Director Danjel Andersson runs the DJ booth, STEPZ inspires on the floor, the bar is open, and the popcorn and balloons are on us. Why not also stay for the captivating and rhythmic performance Waterkind by Land Before Time, starting at 14:00? 25 minutes and well suited for kids.
Closing Party
19.9.2026 / 19:30 / 4h 30 min / Hallen Join us for the final night of OPENINGS 2026 and a celebration in our beautiful space Hallen. After the performance Waterkind, the soundtrack for the festival’s final evening is set by DJ Danjel Andersson followed by DJ Land Before Time aka Joanna Holewa Chrona & Yared Tilahun Cederlund. The party is open to everyone – whether you attended the performance Waterkind or not. So come by for drinks, music, and dancing as we send off OPENINGS 2026 together. About DJ Danjel Andersson: As a DJ, Danjel Andersson is a curator of beats and a dedicated selector, moving from jazz and jazz-funk through hip-hop, acid jazz, and electronic grooves. Drawn to scenes and connections, he selects records that bridge jazz, beats, sampling, electronics, and the dance floor. For Danjel Andersson, it’s not really about genre. It’s about tracing a lineage, finding connections, and selecting records that speak to each other across decades and continents. The groove is serious. About DJ Land Before Time: Joanna Holewa Chrona & Yared Tilahun Cederlund aka Land Before ensures the floor as we party and send off OPENINGS 2026 together.
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Studio 2
Maliina Jensen (GL) Cinema: Re-forming Glaciers (2019), Apusiaajik (2019), Tunu (2019)
09.09.2026 10.09.2026 11.09.2026 12.09.2026 16.09.2026 17.09.2026 18.09.2026 19.09.2026
12:00-20:00 12:00-23:00 12:00-20:00 12:00-18:00 12:00-20:00 12:00-20:00 12:00-20:00 11:00-19:00
24 min 24 min 24 min 24 min 24 min 24 min 24 min 24 min
The films will be screened on a continuous loop throughout the festival. Experience three poetic, vertical dance films by Inuk artist, dancer, choreographer, and filmmaker Maliina Jensen from Nuuk, Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland). At OPENINGS, Jensen presents Re-forming Glaciers, Apusiaajik, and Tunu. Combining dance, image-making, and environmental storytelling, the films explore the scale, beauty, remoteness, and fragility of Arctic environments. Filmed on the Greenland Ice Sheet, in Ilulissat, Kulusuk, and inside the Apusiaajik glacier, the films use the human body as a measure through which to experience these environments. Re-forming Glaciers places the body against the immense and changing ice sheet; Apusiaajik enters the disappearing ice; and Tunu celebrates the magical and seriously wild land of East Greenland. Bringing the body into these landscapes creates a stage where mountains, ice, distance, and orientation become part of the choreography. The works celebrate Kalaallit Nunaat’s landscapes, using the human body to give perspective and a visceral, human scale to vast and remote places – far from the everyday environments in which most audiences encounter dance. The films show Kalaallit Nunaat landscapes as a living homeland where people have developed deep and enduring relationships with the land and everything within it. In this sense, the films are also about belonging to a landscape.
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About
Credits
Maliina Jensen (born 1990) is an Inuk artist from Nuuk, Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland), whose work explores vertical dance, site-specific performance, and dance film in remote landscapes. A teacher and board member at Nunatta Qiteqatigiittarfiat (NuQi Dance Centre), Maliina is committed to promoting dance training and dance experiences in Kalaallit Nunaat. Re-forming Glaciers: Created by Maliina Jensen, Neil Humphrey, Margaret Wilson, Alexander Montgomery-Andersen Produced and directed by Maliina Jensen, Director of photography: Ulannaq Ingemann, Editor: Nils Aasholm, Music: Winter by Jesse Woolston, No Time by Liam Thomas, Tranquility, Moody by Frei, Special thanks to Emil Søndergård, Jonathan Nitz, Katrine Noahsen Gundel, Edvard Rosbach, Kunuk Rene Gundel, Joel Harper, Qiajuk Studios, Film Workshop Nuuk, This film was made possible with support from Naalakkersuisut - Government of Greenland, U.S. National Science Foundation, University of Wyoming, Hotel Hvide Falk, Sermermiut Culture House, Avannaata Kommunia, Comfort Survival Apusiaajik: Produced and performed by Maliina Jensen, Directed, filmed, and edited by Carlo Cuppaiolo, Music by Qillannguaq “Q” Berthelsen, Rigging by Niccolò Segreto, Special thanks to: Pauline Van Nuffel, Miki Van Overeem, Jakob Ipsen, Jóhnna Björk, Natalie Holm, Margaret Wilson and Neil Humphrey, Robert Joyce, Hrafnhildur Einarsdóttir, This film was made possible with support from Naalakkersuisut - Government of Greenland, Kommuneqarfik Sermersooq, Icelandic Mountain Guides, Arctic Wonderland Tours, Nunatak Adventures Tunu: Produced and performed by Maliina Jensen, Directed, filmed, and edited by Carlo Cuppaiolo, Music by Qillannguaq “Q” Berthelsen, Rigging by Niccolò Segreto, Rigging support by Matt Spenceley and Björgvin Hilmarsson , Special thanks to: Helen Spenceley, Jóhanna Björk, Natalie Holm, Margaret Wilson and Neil Humphrey, Robert Joyce, Hrafnhildur Einarsdóttir, Pauline Van Nuffel, This film was made possible with support from Naalakkersuisut - Government of Greenland, Kommuneqarfik Sermersooq, Nunatak Adventures, Pirhuk - Greenland Mountain Guides, Icelandic Mountain Guides.
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Studio 4
AVIAJA Dance (GL/DK) SOIL (2024)
09.09.2026 10.09.2026 11.09.2026 12.09.2026
17:00 17:00 17:00 18:00
45 min 45 min 45 min 45 min
In SOIL, dancer and choreographer Sarah Aviaja Hammeken explores cultural belonging between Greenland and Denmark. The performance is a poetic, embodied investigation of language, identity, and living between cultures. With SOIL – her first solo performance – dancer and choreographer Hammeken explores the complexity of her own cultural background in both Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland) and Denmark. Growing up outside of Greenland, the Inuit culture was always present for Hammeken when moving through the world. Her background brings with it a wealth of opportunity and while she embraces both cultures at different times, she is also sometimes left with the feeling of not belonging to either of them. Often Hammeken’s contemporary dance performances poetically addresses the conflict of not being able to fully grasp your own languages, rituals, or traditions. Mirroring shifts in translation and self-perception, they question when you are accepted into a culture and whose acceptance it is you are seeking. In particular, the language of Kalaallisut (Greenlandic) and the ongoing process of learning it is central to Hammeken’s ongoing development of SOIL, which is a bodily inquiry into communication, its power, and ploys. SOIL was commissioned by KW Institute for Contemporary Art and premiered during the Berlin Art Week 2024.
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Artist talk
09.09.2026 / 18:00 / 25 min / Foyer Sarah Aviaja Hammeken in conversation with Siri Paulsen
About
AVIAJA Dance is a contemporary dance company led by Sarah Aviaja Hammeken. Drawing inspiration from Sarah Aviaja’s unique background, a combination of Danish and Kalaallit (Greenlandic) roots, the company’s work is often inspired by her Inuit heritage. Through ongoing movement research, AVIAJA Dance strives to authentically embody emotional states, resulting in an artistic language that combines visual poetry with powerful physical expression.
Credits
Choreographer and performance: Sarah Aviaja Hammeken, Sound design and dramaturgical assistance: Siri Paulsen, Collaborating partners: Dansehallerne and Nordatlantens Brygge, Commissioned by: Kw Institute for Contemporary Art, Curator: Sofie Krogh Christensen, Supported by: The Danish Arts Foundation’s Project Support, Committee for Performing Arts & Dansehallerne
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Blackboxen
Chiara Bersani (IT) Michel – The Animals I Am (2025)
09.09.2026 10.09.2026 11.09.2026 12.09.2026
20:00 18:00 18:00 14:00
45 min 45 min 45 min 45 min
With Michel – The Animals I Am, Chiara Bersani questions the place of bodies in society. Her intimate experience of disability has shaped both her perception and her artistic imagination, sharpening the uniqueness of her approach. After creating many solo pieces, the Italian dancer and choreographer Bersani expands her choreographic universe to include a chorus of non-normative bodies in her new piece, Michel – The Animals I Am. The performance stems from the desire to transform exception into collectivity, an intimate gesture into a choral event. The title refers to Michel Petrucciani (1962-1999), the acclaimed jazz pianist who shared the same genetic condition as Bersani. The reference does not aim to highlight his artistic genius but to summon a multitude – as if to say: look, there are many of us. On stage, three Italian performers, collaborating with the choreographer for the first time, become ‘a chorus of many Michels, many brilliant people with non-normative bodies. Michel – The Animals I Am also points toward a broader collective effort: to create paths where artists with disabilities can grow, work, and be seen.
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Artist talk
12.09.2026 / 15:00 / 25 min / Blackboxen Chiara Bersani in conversation with Janne Weidinger Kristensen
About
Chiara Bersani is an Italian performing artist and choreographer exploring the politics of the body and how the images we create interact with society’s narratives. Her research is based on the concept of the “Political Body” and the creation of practices aimed at training its presence and action. As an activist Chiara works on the accessibility of disabled artists in the performing arts scene. Her “manifesto” work of this research is Gentle Unicorn, a performance included in the Aerowaves circuit. Alongside her artistic practice and activist work, she is deeply engaged in curatorial work. In 2018, she received the Ubu Award for Best Performer Under 35. In 2020, she co-founded Al.Di.Qua.Artists, a professional association for artists with disabilities. For her activism, she was nominated for the Black Carpet Awards and the Diversity Awards in 2023. Her first solo exhibition, Deserters, was presented at Kunsthaus Baselland in 2023. In 2025, she was awarded the ANTI Festival International Prize for Live Art in Kuopio, Finland. She is an associate artist at Triennale Milano Teatro for the 2025–2027 period. In 2026, Chiara Bersani was selected as one of five finalists for the prestigious Salavisa European Dance Award (SEDA), one of the world’s largest dance prizes.
Credits
Concept, choreography: Chiara Bersani, Performers: Anna Maria Pes, Annalisa Frascari, Carolina Ellero, Lighting design and technical care: Valeria Foti, Set design: Valeria Foti, Richard Gargiulo, Sound: Francesco Rofi Pallone, Costumes: Giulia Merlini, Ettore Lombardi, Tour technician: Eva Luna Thomann, Theoretical support: Giulia Traversi, Movement consultant: Marta Ciappina, Vocal dramaturgy: Ernani Maletta, Francesca Dalla Monica, Assistant: Simone Chiacchiararelli, Promotion, curation, booking: Giulia Traversi, Accessibility, communication and press kit: Flavia Dalila D’Amico, Logistics, organization, production: Eleonora Cavallo, Administration: Chiara Fava, Production: Corpoceleste_C.C.00#, Co-production: Snaporazverein (Samaden, CH), Theaterfestival Boulevard (S-Hertogenbosch, NL), With the support of: Alkantara Festival and Centro de Arte Moderna, Gulbenkian (Lisbon, PRT) Ring Project by Festival Aperto / I Teatri Reggio Emilia Foundation – Bolzano Danza / Haydn Foundation – FOG Triennale Milano Performing Arts – Torinodanza Festival / Teatro Stabile di Torino Foundation – Teatro Nazionale.
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Hallen
Mette Ingvartsen (DK/BE) Skatepark (2023)
10.09.2026 11.09.2026 12.09.2026
20:00 20:00 16:00
70 min 70 min 70 min
The stage is transformed into a lively skate park and skateboarding to a unique form of choreography. Skatepark is one of the internationally acclaimed choreographer Mette Ingvartsen’s major works, which can now finally be experienced in Copenhagen. Legend has it that skateboarding was born one day when low waves forced surfers onto the Los Angeles asphalt. Gliding through the streets, conquering every new obstacle, skateboarding has become a peculiar choreography. It plays over the surface of our cities, reclaiming public space in fierce movements that cut across curves and boundaries. Together with a group of skaters and dancers, Danish star choreographer Mette Ingvartsen explores the speed and energy of movement on wheels – a physical memory from her own youth. More than a smooth spectacle of virtuoso feats, Skatepark marks the emergence of a community – one defined by persistence and hard work within the ongoing practice of individuals who try, fall, and push the limits of the possible, alone but together. On this journey, theatre provides a fluid framework for an encounter between a group of skaters and dancers across generations. Their repeated efforts at balancing and jumping, their boisterous interaction and clashes in the shared space, form something more – an entire society we can learn from.
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Maliina Jensen (GL) Cinema: Re-forming Glaciers (2019), Apusiaajik (2019), Tunu (2019)
AVIAJA Dance (GL/DK) SOIL (2024)
Chiara Bersani (IT) Michel – The Animals I Am (2025)
Mette Ingvartsen (DK/BE) Skatepark (2023)
KINISI / Tim Matiakis (GR/SE/DK) Never the Same Selves (2025)
Jens Jeffry Trinidad (PH/NO) & Marcus Amadeus (PT) SHOUT (2023)
Dorothée Munyaneza (RW/FR) umuko (2024)
Tiran Willemse (ZA/CH) blackmilk (2023)
Land Before Time (SE) Waterkind (2025)
Kid’s Disco 19.09.2026 / 11:00–13:45 / DJ Danjel Andersson
Closing Party 19.09.2026 / 19:30–00:00 / DJ Danjel Andersson & DJ Land Before Time
Artist talk
11.09.2026 / 21:15 / 25 min / Hallen Mette Ingvartsen in conversation with Rasmus Ölme
About
Mette Ingvartsen is a Danish choreographer and dancer with a company based in Brussels. Her internationally reclaimed and vast body of work is characterized by hybridity and engages in extending choreographic practices by combining dance and movement with other domains such as visual arts, technology, language, and theory. Mette Ingvartsen holds a PhD in choreography from Stockholm’s University of the Arts and graduated prior to that from the performing arts school P.A.R.T.S in Brussels. Since establishing her company in 2003, her work has been shown throughout Europe, as well as in the U.S, Canada, South Korea, Taiwan, and Australia. She has been artist in residence at the Kaaitheater in Brussels, Volksbühne in Berlin, as well as associated to the APAP network. In 2024 she was granted the lifetime achievement award by the Danish Arts Foundation.
Credits
Concept & choreography: Mette Ingvartsen, With: Damien Delsaux, Manuel Faust, Aline Boas, Mary Pop Wheels, Sam Gelis, Fouad Nafili, Júlia Rúbies Subirós, Thomas Bîrzan, Briek Neuckermans, Indreas Kifleyesus, Arthur Vannes, Camille Gecchele, Mathias Thiers, Bob Aertsen, Bo Huyghebaert, Nona De Neve and local skaters, Sound design: Anne van de Star and Peter Lenaerts, Lighting design: Minna Tiikkainen, Dramaturgy: Bojana Cvejić, Costumes: Jennifer Defays, Music: Felix Kubin, Mord Records, Why the eye, sonaBLAST! Records, Rrose, The Fanny Pads, Restive Plaggona, Scenography: Pierre Jambé/Antidote, Technical design set: Stéphane Thonnard, Construction set: Construction workshop of Théâtre National Bruxelles: Joachim Pochet, Joachim Hesse, Pierre Jardon, Yves Philippaerts, Andrea Messana, Boyd Gates, Technical direction: Hans Meijer, Sound technicians: Milan Van Doren, Yrjänä Rankka, Filip Vilhelmsson, Lighting technicians: Bennert Vancottem, Jan-Simon De Lille, Sil Verdickt, Choreographic assistant: Jacob Ingram-Dodd, Supervisor kids: Victor Perez Hernandez, Production and administration officer: Joey Ng, Production & communications: Rachel Strijdon, Management: Ruth Collier, Production: Great Investment vzw, Co-production: La Danse en grande forme (Cndc – Angers, Malandain Ballet Biarritz, La Manufacture CDCN NouvelleAquitaine Bordeaux · La Rochelle, CCN de Caen en Normandie, L’échangeur – CDCN Hauts-de-France, CCN2 – Grenoble, La Briqueterie – CDCN du Val de Marne, CCN – Ballet national de Marseille, CCN de Nantes, CCN d’Orléans, Atelier de Paris / CDCN, Le Gymnase CDCN Roubaix – Hauts-de-France, La Place de La Danse – CDCN Toulouse – Occitanie, La MC2 – Grenoble), Ruhrtriennale, Wiener Festwochen & Tanzquartier Wien, La Villette & Théâtre Chaillot, deSingel, Kaaitheater & Théâtre National Wallonie-Bruxelles, Kunstencentrum VIERNULVIER, Next Festival, Charleroi danse centre chorégraphique de Wallonie – Bruxelles, Theater Rotterdam, Perpodium, Supported by: Fondation d’entreprise Hermès, Wilhelm Hansen Fonden, Residency: Rosas, Charleroi danse centre chorégraphique de Wallonie – Bruxelles, deSingel, Great Investment is supported by: The Flemish Authorities, The Flemish Community Commission (VGC), Tax Shelter of the Belgian Federal Government & The Danish Arts Council
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Studio 4
KINISI / Tim Matiakis (GR/SE/DK) Never the Same Selves (2025)
16.09.2026 17.09.2026 18.09.2026 19.09.2026
17:00 17:00 17:00 15:00
60 min 60 min 60 min 60 min
Never the Same Selves is a sensory and exploratory performance about memory, identity, and time, created by choreographer Tim Matiakis and composer Katrine Grarup Elbo. The performance imagines remembering as a resonant space, fantazising about an alternative relationship between memory and identity and poses the question: “If our memories exist here and now, can we, for a moment, release the autobiographical life story they have created for us? What then appears?” Tim Matiakis (choreographer/dancer) and Katrine Grarup Elbo (composer/musician) delve into the experience of the first time we remember ourselves as subjects in a world, to unfold artistic and performative potentials of remembrance, studying the nuances of a lived memory. Never the Same Selves invites you to intimately examine the connections between memory, identity, and time in an episodic world of ever-shifting character – where things are remembered, reimagined, and reassembled.
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Artist talk
19.09.2026 / 16:15 / 25 min / Studio 4 Tim Matiakis in conversation with Andrea Moreno
About
KINISI is a dance and choreography company with embodied sensemaking at its core. The practice of dancing and organizing movement informs the activities and works that KINISI develops and engages with. Tim Matiakis is the artistic director of KINISI. KINISI operates with the belief that moving teaches us about ourselves in this world, where dance and choreography create the frame for that knowledge to be viewed, shared and experienced. Curiosity to unfold the experiences and knowledge produced by moving, framed and presented as works, events and happenings, drives the project. The project has an investigative approach allowing the logic making that occurs when engaged with movement, dance, and choreography to create the aesthetics, concepts and audience relations that define each work. KINISI believes and practices a holistic approach to creation and production, where all parts and all members of production are seen as integral, necessary, and interconnected in relation to each work. KINISI does not differentiate in its approach, but operates within, but not limited to, a contemporary dance and crossdisciplinary context.
Credits
With and by: Tim Matiakis, Composer and musician: Katrine Grarup Elbo, Light designer: Tanya Johansson, Dramaturgy: Rachel Tess, Artistic consultant: Signe Lykke, Memory consultants: Katrin Heimann, Niklas Thrane, Andrea Moreno, Helene Nymann, Klaus Mølmer, Trailer: Mathias Broe, Photos: Mark Philip, Graphic design: Benjamin Graahede, Concept: Tim Matiakis, Administration: Astrid Gravsholt, Production: KINISI, Supported by: Augustinus Foundation, William Demant Foundation, Beckett Foundation, Knud Højgaards Foundation, Louis-Hansens Foundation, Københavns Kommune, Koda Culture, Koda Dramatik, Residencies: Teaterøen, Milvus Artistic Research Center, Dansstationen, Forsøgsstationen, Udviklingsplatformen
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Blackboxen
Jens Jeffry Trinidad (PH/NO), Marcus Amadeus (PT) SHOUT (2023)
16.09.2026 17.09.2026
18:00 18:00
60 min 60 min
In SHOUT, dancer Jens Jeffry Trinidad and musician Marcus Amadeus come together in an intense and sensory exploration of how music, rhythm, and vibration shape, move and transform the body. Drawing inspiration from club music, dance competitions, laments and ‘praise breaks’, SHOUT unfolds a raw and immediate expression with a strong rhythmic pulse and an almost trance-like energy. With Missy Elliott as a kind of ‘spiritual reference’, the work moves between the earthly and the ecstatic, between control and surrender. The performance draws clear lines from the artists’ shared background in street dance, hip-hop, and club culture, yet simultaneously insists on escaping fixed categories. Through repetitions, shifts and transformations, a choreographic and musical language emerges that challenges divisions such as concert and performance, masculine and feminine, club and contemporary dance. SHOUT embodies an inner activism that questions what and who is valued: Which bodies, movements and practices are given space, and under what conditions? For their first collaborative work, Trinidad and Amadeus chose to work outside established institutions and instead create the performance at (the independent venue) Scenehuset in Oslo. The result is a performance that emphasises presence, power, and sensitivity, and which opens a physical experience of sound’s ability to connect, displace and transform.
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Artist talk
16.09.2026 / 19:15 / 25 min / Blackboxen Jens Jeffry Trinidad in conversation with Anastasija Olescuka
About
Jens Jeffry Trinidad is a Filipino-Norwegian dance artist with roots in street and club dance. He began his career in the hiphop scene in Oslo in the late 1990s and has since worked as a performer, teacher, and choreographer in both the performing arts and television. He has collaborated with a number of prominent artists and, in 2024, received the Rolf Gammeleng Prize for his contribution to the performing arts. Marcus Amadeus is a musician and composer from Porto. His practice stems from an early interest in digital music production and a cross-aesthetic approach, where structures from architecture and sound merge. Today, he works internationally with composition, performance, and sound design, focusing on sound’s ability to shape experience and emotion.
Credits
Concept, choreography & performance: Jens Jeffry Trinidad, Musician, composer & performance: Marcus Amadeus, Dramaturgy / outside eye: Melanie Fieldseth, Set design: Kjersti Alm Eriksen, Lighting design: Elisabeth Kjeldahl Nilsson, Outside & inside eye: Magnus Myhr, Film & photography: Sindre Eriksson Vik, Supported by: Norwegian Arts Council, The Fund for Performing Artists, Municipality of Oslo
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Hallen
Dorothée Munyaneza (RW/FR) umuko (2024)
16.09.2026 17.09.2026 18.09.2026
20:00 20:00 18:00
70 min 70 min 70 min
In umuko, the award-winning choreographer Dorothée Munyaneza creates a sensorial performance about community, hope, and resistance, carried by young Rwandan dancers, musicians, and poets. A celebration of joy, love, and solidarity across generations. A tree with vermillion-coloured flowers is at the heart of Dorothée Munyaneza’s work from 2024. The tree’s name is “umuko”, traditionally considered a healer and keeper of stories, a symbol of the resilient ties between past, present, and future, and also a memory from Munyaneza’s childhood. Together with five young Rwandese dancers, musicians, and poets, the multidisciplinary artist celebrates the creativity, audacity, and freedom of a new generation: people who carry forward the memory of a common heritage while dreaming about the future and resisting the omnipresent danger of annihilation. umuko is a work of joy, love, and solidarity. Artist’s note by Dorothée Munyaneza: “It’s been 28 years since I moved away from my native land. 28 years that I live in new lands. 28 years that I root myself elsewhere. First, London, then Paris and today Marseille. 28 years that I haven’t forgotten “umuko”, that tree that illuminates my childhood. That tree that resonates only in the native language. That bright red tree, earth red, which links me to what begins, to what is lost and found again, when I return, to what continues…” – Dorothée Munyaneza
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Artist talk
17.09.2026 / 21:25 / 25 min / Hallen Dorothée Munyaneza and performers in conversation with Maji Claire
About
Based in Marseille, Dorothée Munyaneza is a multidisciplinary artist working with music, song, text, and movement, exploring rupture as a dynamic force through real stories rooted in body, memory and the present. Originally from Rwanda, she moved to England with her family in 1994 and later trained and studied in the UK before settling in France. In 2013, she founded the Kadidi company. Munyaneza has collaborated widely across dance, music and visual arts and has been an associate artist at Théâtre de la Ville (2018–21). She is currently associated with Théâtre National de Chaillot and Maison de la Danse / Dance Biennale in Lyon, was in residence at Fondation Camargo (2022–24) and received the Salavisa European Dance Award in 2024.
Credits
Artistic direction: Dorothée Munyaneza, Performance and artistic collaboration: Jean Patient ”Nkubana” Akayezu, Eric “Rud Bass” Hakizimana (since 03/2026), Impakanizi, Abdoul Mujyambere, Cedric Mizero. Performance and artistic collaboration (until 08/2025): Michael Makembe, Music: Impakanizi, Nkubana Jean-Patient, Michael Makembe, Sound management: Camille Frachet, Aude Besnard, Light & scenography: Camille Duchemin, Light management: Camille Faye, Anna Geneste, Estelle Gautier, Costumes: Stéphanie Coudert, Production: Virginie Dupray – Cie Kadidi assisted by Nouria Tirou and Louise Mutabazi, Coproduction: Dance reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels, Chaillot – Théâtre National de la Danse, Paris, Maison de la Danse Lyon – Pôle Européen de création, PACT Zollverein, Essen, deSingel, Antwerp, Julidans, Amsterdam, Tanz im August / HAU Hebbel am Ufer, Berlin, Kaai Theater, Bruxelles, festival Oriente-Occidente, Rovereto, With the support from: Institut français du Rwanda et du Goethe-Institut, dans le cadre du Fonds Culturel FrancoAllemand, DRAC Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur
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Blackboxen
Tiran Willemse (ZA/CH) blackmilk (2023)
18.09.2026 19.09.2026
20:00 17:00
70 min 70 min
blackmilk is the first part of the Trompoppies Trilogy by Tiran Willemse. „Trompoppies“ is Afrikaans and describes drum majorettes in uniform. The performance examines one of the choreographic elements of the formation dances they perform: the precise hand gestures. Fusing trompoppies movements with the melodramatic gestures of white femme starlets and gestures associated with black masculine rap stars, the work explores the distance between images of African and Afro-American male-presenting bodies. blackmilk intervenes into this limiting repertoire of representations using the means of performance and explores a variety of affective bodies in the gray zones of legible identities, opening them up to a complex sensitivity that the artist describes as „black male melancholia“.
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Artist talk
18.09.2026 / 21:25 / 25 min / Foyer Tiran Willemse in conversation with a moderator
About
Zürich-based South African dancer and choreographer Tiran Willemse studied at P.A.R.T.S in Brussels and Bern University of the Arts (HKB). His performance-based practice explores the body’s physical and emotional depth using sonic and visual techniques to create somatic and psychological landscapes beyond the human condition. Tiran has worked and collaborated with choreographers like Trajal Harrell, Jérôme Bel, Wu-Tsang, Ligia Lewis, Meg Stuart, Andros ZinsBrowne, Eszter Salamon and Deborah Hay. In 2022, he won the Prix Suisse de la Performance.
Credits
Concept, artistic direction & performance: Tiran Willemse, Light design: Fudetani Ryoya, Demi Jakob, Max Windisch-Spoerk, Music: Manuel Riegler, Production: Paelden Tamnyen, Kelly Tuke, Co-production: Sophiensaele Berlin, Tanzquartier Wien, Gessnerallee Zürich, WP Zimmer Antwerp, Residencies: Tanzhaus Zürich, Buda Kortrijk, Les Urbaines Lausanne, Impulstanz Vienna, Trauma Bar, Kino Berlin
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Hallen
Land Before Time (SE) Waterkind (2025)
19.09.2026 19.09.2026
14:00 19:00
30 min 30 min
How does a connection arise between bodies without physical contact? And what happens in a space where distance, attention and energy converge? In Waterkind, the duo Land Before Time explores the relationship between two bodies in constant motion – inspired by the currents, rhythms, and ever-changing forms of water. Through improvisation, the dancers unfold a sensory dialogue in which every movement choice arises in response to what has gone before. Closeness and distance become interdependent, and through vibrations and sensitivity, a connection appears that requires no physical contact. With roots in street dance, freestyle and popping, the work develops a movement language where precision and spontaneity merge. Outbursts and silence alternate in a constant flow, where the bodies negotiate their relationship in the present moment. Waterkind opens a physical reflection on empathy, co-existence, and the invisible connections that tie us together. With water serving as both a metaphor and a principle of movement, the work points to broader connections between humanity and nature.
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About
Land Before Time is a Swedish-based artistic duo including Joanna Holewa Chrona and Yared Tilahun Cederlund. At the intersection of dance, music, and sound composition, they create works that explore rhythm, connection, and the relationship between movement and sound. With roots in street dance and club culture, they combine improvisation with experimental sound universes in a practice that is both sensory and exploratory. Joanna Holewa Chrona is a dancer, choreographer, project manager and DJ based between Sweden and South Africa. Her practice is characterised by a cross-cultural approach to movement and a strong grounding in improvisation. She also works as a curator and is a co-founder of the organisation AFIA. Yared Tilahun Cederlund is a performer, choreographer and composer. With a background in the street and battle scene, he has developed a practice that spans from performing arts to music production. His work revolves around the relationship between rhythm, movement and sound and unfolds in both choreographic and musical formats.
Credits
Choreography: Joanna Holewa Chrona & Yared Tilahun Cederlund, Dancers: Joanna Holewa Chrona, Yared Tilahun Cederlund, Music: Yared Tilahun Cederlund, Vocals: Ntsika Fana Ngxanga, Production: Land Before Time, Distribution: Nordberg Movement, Supported by: Konstnärsnämnden, Region Skåne, Norrlandsoperan, Kulturrådet, Dalateatern
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About Dansehallerne Dansehallerne is a national organisation and stage dedicated to strengthening the position of contemporary dance in Denmark and making dance accessible to people of all ages – both within its own facilities and across the country. This is achieved through broad collaborations with partners across the dance sector and beyond, both nationally and internationally. As Denmark’s national stage for contemporary dance and choreography, Dansehallerne co-produces and presents work by Danish and international artists - supporting artistic development and inviting audiences to experience the diversity and range of contemporary dance. The artistic program spans emerging talents and established names, intimate and poetic works, experimental formats and large-scale productions, and is complemented by talks, workshops, public activities and gatherings for audiences, guests and professionals. Dansehallerne offers daily training for the professional dance community and provides a vibrant working and meeting place, with stages and studios designed to support a wide range of artistic practices and production needs. Early encounters with dance Young audiences are an important part of Dansehallerne. Performances are presented for babies, children, teenagers and young adults, alongside workshops and other opportunities to experience dance, explore movement and engage with the art form in different ways. Dansehallerne also hosts dance classes for children and young people run by external partners. The aim is to nurture curiosity, familiarity, and a lasting relation ship with dance from an early age. Connected across Denmark and beyond Collaboration is fundamental to Dansehallerne’s work. Across Denmark, joint initiatives with institutions, artists and partners help strengthen dance and choreography as an art form and create greater reach and visibility through shared efforts. Internationally, partnerships connect Dansehallerne and Danish artists to a wider artistic community, enabling exchange, new perspectives and opportunities for works and artistic practices to travel across borders.
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Dansehallerne is an active partner in networks such as Dansenet Danmark, Dansefællesskaber, European Dance Development Network (EDN), Aerowaves, Ice Hot Nordic Dance Platform, and the Salavisa European Dance Award (SEDA). A home for dance Since 2024, Dansehallerne has been based in the former boiler house in Copenhagen’s Carlsberg City District. The transformation of the listed 4,600 m² building has given Denmark a dedicated home for dance and choreography, with two stages, five studios and spaces for production, rehearsals, professional training, and meetings. Dansehallerne is an active part of its neighbourhood, aiming to be a welcoming place for the local community and a natural part of life in the Carlsberg City District. OPENINGS, a part of yes – dance biennale 2026 OPENINGS is Dansehallerne’s contribution to the new yes – dance biennale, launched in 2026 as an initiative by Dansehallerne in close collaboration with Danish Dance Theatre, Sydhavn Teater, and København Danser. From 26 August to 28 September, the first edition creates a full month of dance across Copenhagen. From 2028, more partners are invited to take part, growing yes – dance biennale into a major recurring event for dance and choreography, bringing the field together, giving the art form greater visibility and positioning Copenhagen internationally as a leading destination for dance. OPENINGS 2026 is generously supported by: The Augustinus Foundation, Københavns Kommune, The Danish Arts Foundation, and Beckett-Foundation.
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OPENINGS 9-19 September 2026 Dansehallerne Franciska Clausens Plads 27 DK- 1799 Copenhagen www.dansehallerne.dk @dansehallerne dansehallerne.dk Autumn program:
OPENINGS is a part of yes-dancebiennale.dk