De(con)fining — International Dance Project

Choreographed by Pernille Øien (Norway), De(con)fining united Norwegian and Malian dancers in a compelling exploration of identity and expression. Featuring music by Håvard Lund, the performance premiered in Bad Ischl, Austria on 12 October 2024, as part of the European Capital of Culture programme before touring to Svømmehallen Scene in Bodø on 15 October 2025.

The performance was produced as part of the Deconfining project by Bodø 2024 (Norway), in collaboration with partners Ségou’ Art (Mali), and Bad Ischl Salzkammergut (Austria).

Øien described the piece as “a conversation of unheard voices,” blending improvisation, live music, and dance into a deeply emotional performance. The performance features dancers Aasa Frøystein, Kadidja Tiemanta (Mali), and Katherina Jitlatda Horup Solvang, and is inspired by the collaborative text Rájiid (haga), written by Norwegian author Kathrine Nedrejord and Malian writer Salimata Togora.

“The choreography is structured as a conversation — the dancers engage in dialogue with the musician, the audience, and themselves,” Øien explains. “Certain words or moods from the text inspired specific movements — I asked myself what each word evokes in my body, and how that emotion could be expressed through motion.”

A graduate of the Royal Swedish Ballet School in Stockholm and holder of a BA in Jazz Dance from the Oslo National Academy of the Arts, the young choreographer views De(con)fining as an opportunity to bridge artistic worlds. “It’s incredibly exciting to have a platform that allows me to bring together collaborators I already know with new artists I might never have met without this project,” she says.

Øien hopes the performance will resonate deeply with audiences — even if its impact defies explanation.