Øyen (Norway) is one of the most exciting artists in the international dance scene today whose work has been performed by companies around the world. As a choreographer, writer, and director, he can best be described as a unique story teller always in pursuit of a sincere and human expression. With an emotional and dramatic drive, Øyen ambitiously combines music, movement, opera, theatre and dance. He was trained as a dancer at the State School of Art in Oslo and danced with The Norwegian National Contemporary, and Amanda Miller’s Pretty Ugly Dance Company in Cologne before founding his own multidisciplinary company, winter guests in 2006. Øyen: “As an artist today, I constantly oscillate between work with actors and work with dancers, and sometimes juxtapose the two.”
The creator’s complex and technically challenging choreographic language is informed by the world around him which allows him to draw inspiration from a myriad of sources including popular culture as well as personal conversations and experiences. For his debut project with NDT, he says he will be “searching for an exaggerated performative expression, and take outset in the concept of ‘Death.’’’ For this, the choreographer will be looking at its symbols and rituals, as well as the fear and terror we attribute to death. Øyen: “I’m eager to challenge the dancers to work with acting, to explore words through writing, as well as engage physically with text through their own movements.”
