Undersang is a work by Harald Beharie that takes the form of a collective walk and a performance in the forest. A vibrant and rhythmic universe where the primal human merges with the otherworldly. Here, mythology, romanticism, and science fiction converge, revealing a world of ancient forces.
Location: Meet at the stage in Ravnedalen, then we’ll walk together to the venue in the woods in Baneheia.
By situating Afro-Nordic and Asian-Nordic diasporic narratives in the forest, Beharie weaves together Blackness, nature, and dissonance as a strategy for empowerment, and asks what it means to belong. Undersang is a queer ecology that grows outward, where devotion, joy, and fiction become forms of resistance and the reclaiming of time. In encounter with nature, gestures and states are brought to life—nostalgic, sensory, and primal. In a mosaic of bodies and landscapes, voices rise, while shouts and calls summon a hypnotic chorus. Through a collective and unpredictable energy, Undersang opens up a terrain of physical and affective vibration in the search for fertile ground for healing, mourning, and celebration.
Minimum age: 12 years
The performance begins with a group walk to the venue (approx. 45 min)
After arriving at the venue, we’ll stay there for about an hour, and then walk back the same way.
Accessibility:
The walk to the venue is along a forest trail. Therefore, this performance is not suitable for people in wheelchairs or those who are unable to walk on uneven terrain (uneven and potentially slippery ground). Audience members are expected to be able to walk the approximately 45-minute round trip. We will maintain a comfortable walking pace to accommodate everyone present. Upon arrival at the venue in the forest, the audience is expected to either stand or sit without back support for the duration of the performance.
If you would like to attend the performance but have difficulty walking for 45 minutes, there is a shorter route available. Please contact ravnedans.sunniva@gmail.com for more information. The performance takes place outdoors, so please dress for the weather.
Ravnedans wants to make its performances accessible to everyone. If financial circumstances make it difficult for you to purchase a ticket, please contact the Ravnedans team and we can arrange a free ticket for you. Email us at: ravnedans.info@gmail.com
Choreography: Harald Beharie
Sculptures: Karoline Bakken Lund and Veronica Bruce
Composition, sound: Christian Beharie
Performers (Ravnedans): Loan Ha, Carlisle Sienes, Jens Trinidad, Nosizwe Baqwa, Amie Mbye, Kéwè Bonono, and Harald Beharie
Performers (original cast): Loan Ha, Mariama Slåttøy, Carlisle Sienes, Jens Trinidad, Nosizwe Baqwa, Amie Mbye, and Harald Beharie
Facilitator / Dramaturg: Deise Nunes
Outside Eye: Hooman Sharifi
Producer: Mariana Suikkanen Gomes
Touring Producer: Kristina Melbø Valvik
Distribution: Damien Valette
Co-producers:
Black Box Teater (Oslo)
Dansens Hus (Oslo)
BIT (Bergen)
Rosendal Teater (Trondheim)
RAS (Sandnes)
TOU (Stavanger)
Special thanks to:
Sudesh Adhana, Gabrielle Bozee, Marie Cole, Amika Elfendi, Pål Græsvik, Gloria Kapako, Erick Kelly, Torbjørn Kolbeinsen, Nicolas Jara Marthinsen, Magne Misje, Sudesh Adhana, Faduma Mohamud, Lara Okafor, Siham Ouazzif, Ellen Palmeira, Sven Undheim, and Charlott Utzig
Ravnedans Discussion Group
When: June 19 at 1:30 p.m. (the day after the performance)
Location: Odderøyveien 60A, Building 44
Duration: 60 min
Suitable for: Anyone who’s curious!
Languages: Scandinavian and English
Ticket (free): https://www.kunstgavekortet.no/produkt/19-juni-kl-22-00-ravnedans-samtaleklubb-undersang/
Would you like to practice putting your experiences into words? Following four performances at Ravnedans, you’re invited to join the Discussion Club. Here, a small group of audience members gathers to discuss what they’ve experienced. Each audience member’s encounter with a performance is always unique, as we all bring our individual experiences, associations, and perspectives when we view art. Having a shared conversation about the experience can be a fun way to open up the artwork—it can reveal the diversity of understandings and effects a performance can have, and can help you see nuances and reflect on why some things resonated and others did not.
The discussions will be facilitated by critic Anette Therese Pettersen and will take place immediately after the performance. The group will move to a private room, enjoy some snacks, and engage in an informal conversation for about an hour. Since we want to create a safe environment for the discussion, the group is small and limited to 8 people. If you sign up, it is therefore important that you attend or let us know if you are unable to make it.
The initiative is supported by Cultiva and is a collaboration with the House of Literature in Kristiansand and Anette Therese Pettersen’s initiative Porøse Kunstmøter – We should be dreamers.
