Women from Mars, and Men from Venus

Slowly rotating, reflecting the auditorium and yet remaining almost invisible, the huge disc immediately captures our attention. Sethzman is using the disc, placed at the left-hand side of the stage, to manipulate the dimensions of the stage. Andersson’s clear cut and precise movement language increases the stature of the dancers, making their movements as striking as black signs on white paper. The combined effect of the choreo­graphy and the set design is an exciting illusion of monumentality that expands the relatively limited space of the main stage at Dansens Hus.

The dancers are as closely connec­ted to the stage set, an all-white floor and backdrop, as calligraphic signs to paper and, like the paper, the stage becomes one with the dancers and their shadows. Intermittently, the stage is covered by projections of space photos to a surround soundscape dominated by cosmic blips, giving rise to an ethereal atmosphere in sharp contrast to the choreography that – even by Andersson’s standards – has an unusually strong physical quality. This contradiction and the exact balance of the elements involved create an impression of being exposed to the interior and exterior at the same time ...