Raucous crowds, convulsing bodies, ecstatic euphoria: so-called “dance crazes” occur throughout European history and belong to one of the most curious human phenomena of all: relentless dancing that spilled over into mass movements over the course of days and months, filled the streets, and ended in complete exhaustion and even death. Many explanations for this dance mania have been proffered over the centuries, including possession by evil spirits and the medical invention of hysteria (at the time exclusively diagnosed in women).
Each craze has the same pathology: it begins with a single body and infects others with unprecedented speed. The contagiousness of the phenomenon confirmed suspicions that it was an uncurable disease even though no distinctive cause was ever discovered. To this day dance mania remains unexplained.
Inspired by these events Danish artist Mette Ingvartsen explores collective ecstasy in the post-pandemic era.
Her solo fills the room with stories, electronic music, and jerking movements. In contrast to a classical setting, the audience finds itself in the middle of the action: Ingvartsen moves through the crowd as if she were dancing in a public space or lost in the rapture of an endless rave.
The Dancing Public is an invitation to feel the mania in your own body. The collective flow, the pull of its current, turns the evening into a mixture of dance fest, spoken-word concert, and exuberant party.
Following the performance on Friday, April 26, there will be an afterparty from 22:00-01:00.
36birds, is a singer/songwriter and DJ from Zurich. He draws on techno, 90s trance and house and seamlessly blends these genres to create a unique and captivating sound that transports listeners into the pulsating energy of the club.
As part of the Migros Culture Percentage dance festival Steps.
Raucous crowds, convulsing bodies, ecstatic euphoria: so-called “dance crazes” occur throughout European history and belong to one of the most curious human phenomena of all: relentless dancing that spilled over into mass movements over the course of days and months, filled the streets, and ended in complete exhaustion and even death. Many explanations for this dance mania have been proffered over the centuries, including possession by evil spirits and the medical invention of hysteria (at the time exclusively diagnosed in women).
Each craze has the same pathology: it begins with a single body and infects others with unprecedented speed. The contagiousness of the phenomenon confirmed suspicions that it was an uncurable disease even though no distinctive cause was ever discovered. To this day dance mania remains unexplained.
Inspired by these events Danish artist Mette Ingvartsen explores collective ecstasy in the post-pandemic era.
Her solo fills the room with stories, electronic music, and jerking movements. In contrast to a classical setting, the audience finds itself in the middle of the action: Ingvartsen moves through the crowd as if she were dancing in a public space or lost in the rapture of an endless rave.
The Dancing Public is an invitation to feel the mania in your own body. The collective flow, the pull of its current, turns the evening into a mixture of dance fest, spoken-word concert, and exuberant party.
Following the performance on Friday, April 26, there will be an afterparty from 22:00-01:00.
36birds, is a singer/songwriter and DJ from Zurich. He draws on techno, 90s trance and house and seamlessly blends these genres to create a unique and captivating sound that transports listeners into the pulsating energy of the club.
As part of the Migros Culture Percentage dance festival Steps.
| Concept and performance | Mette Ingvartsen |
| Lighting design: | Minna Tiikkainen |
| Set design | Mette Ingvartsen, Minna Tiikkainen |
| Musical arrangements | Mette Ingvartsen, Anne van de Star |
| Music | Affkt feat. Sutja Gutierrez, Scanner, Radio Boy, LCC, VII Circle, Kangding Ray, Paula Temple, Ron Morelli, Valanx, Anne van de Star |
| Costumes | Jennifer Defays |
| Dramaturgy | Bojana Cvejić |
| French translation | Gilles Amalvi |
| Technical direction | Hans Meijer |
| Sound technician | Anne van de Star |
| Company management | Ruth Collier |
| Production and administration | Joey Ng |
| … |
| Production | Great Investment vzw |
| Co-production | PACT Zollverein (Essen), Kaaitheater (Brüssel), Festival d’Automne (Paris), Tanzquartier (Wien), SPRING Performing Arts Festival (Utrecht), Kunstencentrum Vooruit (Gent), Les Hivernales – Centre de Développement Chorégraphique National d’Avignon, Charleroi danse centre chorégraphique de Wallonie – Bruxelles, NEXT festival, Dansens Hus Oslo |
| With the support of | Fondation d’entreprise Hermès im Rahmen des New Settings Program, Bikubenfonden. Kunstencentrum Buda (Kortrijk) |
| Funded by | The Flemish Authorities, The Danish Arts Council & The Flemish Community Commission (VGC) |
