URBÄNG!: Trajal Harrell "Dancer of the Year"

In the organizer's words:

Trajal Harrell: Dancer of the Year

Trajal Harrell is currently one of the most recognized and influential choreographers internationally and was awarded the Silver Lion in Venice in 2024. For two decades, the American choreographer has been reinterpreting the history of contemporary dance and its subcultures through a series of original, boundary-breaking works. The evening-length work "Dancer of the Year" is a reaction to his unexpected selection as "Dancer of the Year" by Tanz magazine in 2018. In an intimate setting, Harrell allows the audience to participate in his work and makes his dance a gift. His work uncovers hidden connections across time, place and cultures and opens up spaces for alternative dance stories. A deep affection for the ritual of performance permeates his theatrical style, which questions his own identity and that of the "other", orientalism and historical connections between dance, exoticism and eroticism, among other things. He combines voguing and runway idioms with Butoh, the dances of Greek antiquity as well as modern and postmodern dance.

URBÄNG! the festival for performative arts is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the free trade zone this year. A good reason to invite outstanding international favorite artists and heartfelt pieces to celebrate the power and relevance of the stage and the shared here & now with our audience.