Combat Cute

For their new show, the Swedish street dance group BouncE has taken on the ambitious project of turning Ken Kesey’s cult novella “One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest“ into a dance performance. In a setting influenced by contemporary American street culture, street dance represents the right to be deviant while classical ballet symbolises medication; the strait jacket of normality. Not very original perhaps, but it works and it also suits a BouncE audience very well.

During their eight or nine years as the leading Swedish street dance group, BouncE has gathered quite a following consisting of a varied group of people, from Kalle (5) to his great granny (65).
The reason for this and one of the main features of BouncE is that they do not share the conformist macho-sexist-aggressive attitude too often associated with street dance. The BouncE style could be described as combat cute; sharp dance, rough looks but nice vibes. The versatile dancers have mastered several different dance styles and, in “The Cuckoos Nest,” have created an over-the-top 1980s medley in which Jennie Widegren turns the character of Miss Martini into a bouncing Fonda look-alike.
As a consequence of the group‘s combat-cute ...