Monday, September 28, Klaipėda, 6:30 p.m.
Performance “This is Not Mårup Church” / Granhoj Dans (Denmark)
@Kultūros fabrikas (Bangų St. 5A, Klaipėda).
Performance “This is Not Mårup Church” / Granhoj Dans (Denmark)
@Kultūros fabrikas (Bangų St. 5A, Klaipėda).
RECOMMENDED for those who long for what they have lost
Critics’ Corner**
“Incredible and deeply moving.” Kirsten Dahl / “The poetry of a body on the edge of the world.” Kulturnyt.dk / “What a moving moment when Granhøj gazes melancholically out at the sea of spectators.” Weekendavisen / “A beautiful and moving dance performance about universal longing.” Dans tidningen
“Incredible and deeply moving.” Kirsten Dahl / “The poetry of a body on the edge of the world.” Kulturnyt.dk / “What a moving moment when Granhøj gazes melancholically out at the sea of spectators.” Weekendavisen / “A beautiful and moving dance performance about universal longing.” Dans tidningen
“I was walking by and went into the empty Mårup Church. Only the walls remained. I heard the most beautiful song I’ve ever heard. Some might say it was a lark high up in the sky. But I stood there for a long, long time, listening. Suddenly, I heard something… they had gathered together—and they were singing. Up there.”
ONCE UPON A TIME, A CHURCH STOOD HERE
Mårup Church was built in 1202 on a cliff on Denmark’s western coast—at that time, it was 1.2 km from the sea. Year after year, the raging North Sea crept closer, and in 2007, it was decided to dismantle the church, stone by stone, with the hope of reconstructing it in the future. However, this plan was later abandoned. In 2015, Mårup Church was reduced to ruins and forgotten.
Award-winning dancer and choreographer Palle Granhøj was born in a small town, not far from where the church once stood. The performance “This Is Not Mårup Church” is a journey into Palle Granhøj’s personal space—a poetic reflection on longing for what is no longer there, presented as a combination of words, live music, choral singing, and movement.
Mårup Church was built in 1202 on a cliff on Denmark’s western coast—at that time, it was 1.2 km from the sea. Year after year, the raging North Sea crept closer, and in 2007, it was decided to dismantle the church, stone by stone, with the hope of reconstructing it in the future. However, this plan was later abandoned. In 2015, Mårup Church was reduced to ruins and forgotten.
Award-winning dancer and choreographer Palle Granhøj was born in a small town, not far from where the church once stood. The performance “This Is Not Mårup Church” is a journey into Palle Granhøj’s personal space—a poetic reflection on longing for what is no longer there, presented as a combination of words, live music, choral singing, and movement.
LONGING LIVES ON IN THE BODY
What is longing? First love, childhood discoveries, the thirst for life, and the vitality of youth—feelings that have left their mark but are no longer with us. The choreographer himself appears on stage, along with four dancers, two musicians, and a polyphonic men’s choir, all of whom, using the iconic technique of obstruction, explore the nature of longing.
Some may know the Mårup Church from the film *Babette’s Feast*. Others perhaps precisely because it no longer exists. This performance is about what we long for, and a reminder that what is lost can still reach us—through the body, music, and silence. “What is longing? It must be something approaching, perhaps something religious. In any case, it is an irrational, ritualistic surrender to some greater forces.”—Palle Granhøj, choreographer
What is longing? First love, childhood discoveries, the thirst for life, and the vitality of youth—feelings that have left their mark but are no longer with us. The choreographer himself appears on stage, along with four dancers, two musicians, and a polyphonic men’s choir, all of whom, using the iconic technique of obstruction, explore the nature of longing.
Some may know the Mårup Church from the film *Babette’s Feast*. Others perhaps precisely because it no longer exists. This performance is about what we long for, and a reminder that what is lost can still reach us—through the body, music, and silence. “What is longing? It must be something approaching, perhaps something religious. In any case, it is an irrational, ritualistic surrender to some greater forces.”—Palle Granhøj, choreographer
Runtime: 55 min
Trailer: https://vimeo.com/1130198483
Trailer: https://vimeo.com/1130198483
Performers: Palle Granhøj, Sofia Pintzou, Dominyka Markevičiūtė, Povilas Jurgaitis, Marius Pinigis, Anne Eisensee
Musicians: Dalia Dedinskaitė (violin), Glebas Pyšniakas (cello)
Stage Lighting Technician: Darius Berulis
Choreographer: Palle Granhøj
Set and Lighting Designer: Palle Granhøj
The production was funded by: the Danish Arts Foundation, the Augustino Foundation, and the Beckett Foundation
Musicians: Dalia Dedinskaitė (violin), Glebas Pyšniakas (cello)
Stage Lighting Technician: Darius Berulis
Choreographer: Palle Granhøj
Set and Lighting Designer: Palle Granhøj
The production was funded by: the Danish Arts Foundation, the Augustino Foundation, and the Beckett Foundation
Granhøj Dans is an internationally recognized Danish dance company. Its artistic director and choreographer, Palle Granhøj, creates his works in close collaboration with the dancers. The foundation of each of his performances is his signature “obstruction” technique, which has yielded nearly 40 original works over the past 35 years. Using this method, the choreographer transforms the performers’ movements by restricting their actions, revealing the inner layers of their personalities and thereby highlighting the human condition. Rather than showcasing the dancers’ physicality and the characteristics of the choreography, P. Granhøj seeks to reveal men and women on stage as they truly are: real, alive, and complex. Palle Granhøj’s works have already been presented in 50 countries around the world.
www.granhoj.dk
www.granhoj.dk
