- Wednesday night 3 July*00:35, Platform
* This artist is part of the Wednesday lineup. Concert starts at 00:35 on the night between Wednesday and Thursday.
With the performance 'Ruzalka' the Norwegian-Kosovo Albanian dancer and choreographer Thjerza Balaj explores Slavic folklore. According to the legends, Rusalka is a female character who lures young men deep into the water, where she entwines them in her hair and sinks them to the bottom of the sea.
In 'Ruzalka', Thjerza Balaj personifies this mythical figure, but in a hybrid version where identity, power, and lust become fluid, change and evolve. In velvety darkness and to the beat of hardcore techno, she explores desire, dominance, and pushes the boundaries of dance.
About her artwork, Thjerza Balaj says:
"I am interested in dance that seeks boundaries and tries to challenge our contemporary society, environment, and understanding of what dance can be. I want to create dance that is liberating and sensitive but has a direct boundary-pushing expression. I aim to explore and emphasize issues surrounding representation and power dynamics using dance as a means of expression."
Thjerza Balaj is a trained dancer and choreographer from the Danish National School of Performing Arts, currently residing and working in Copenhagen. She has previously worked with choreographers and artists such as Ingri Fiksdal, Jules Fischer and Esben Weile Kjær. In 2022, she received the prestigious danceWEB scholarship at Europe's biggest dance festival, ImpulsTanz in Vienna.