Tuesday 16 September 2025

Norrdans celebrates three decades of stubborn dance joy with sorrow and hope

On October 4th, the world premiere of Malik Nashad Sharpe’s work AIR BODY SAD will take place. The performance will be the highlight as Norrdans celebrates its 30th anniversary. “Three decades with Norrdans means celebrating thirty years of pushing the boundaries of what contemporary dance can be, a place where body and thought meet, where norms are questioned, and where the unexpected becomes possible. It makes me both proud and deeply grateful,” says Martin Forsberg, Dance Director and Artistic Director of Norrdans.

Since 1995, Norrdans has shared dance with the people of Norrland, out into the world and back home again. For the dance company from Härnösand, it makes no difference whether the audience consists of two or two thousand, they always give everything. The 30th anniversary will be marked with a day of open house, workshops and memories, crowned by the world premiere of the dance work AIR BODY SAD by the British-American choreographer Malik Nashad Sharpe.

In AIR BODY SAD, the audience is invited into a dystopian club world, where the struggle between despair and hope is thin and palpable. Through rhythmic and intense choreography, the work explores belonging, love and violence.

“With AIR BODY SAD, Malik shapes a narrative work that allows us to meet grief not as an exception, but as a shared experience. On stage, we recognise ourselves in the vulnerability of others, and through this witnessing we participate in the creation of the world we live in,” says Martin Forsberg, Dance Director and Artistic Director of Norrdans.

The collaboration between Norrdans and Malik Nashad Sharpe challenges both traditions and the senses. The entire artistic team moves effortlessly between art and pop culture, creating an experience where melancholy and despair are not only destinations but starting points for finding light in the darkness.

AIR BODY SAD has its world premiere on Saturday, October 4th at Härnösand Theatre. A tour will then follow in Norrland, Stockholm, Norway and Denmark.