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The two dancers Anne Grete Eriksen and Leif Hernes met in London during their choreography studies at the Laban Centre of Movement and Dance in 1976.
Anne Grete had recently finished her two year course of theatre studies at Dartington College of Arts in Devon, England, as well as a two year course for dance teachers at the Norwegian National Operas' Ballet School in Oslo.
For Leif the year at the Laban Centre represented the start of his dance- and choreography studies after mime study with Fialka (Czech Republic) and Tomaszewski (Poland).
Following his study at Laban Centre he studied at the Rambert School of Ballet, London and at the Norwegian National Operas' Ballet School in Oslo.
In 1978 Anne Grete and Leif started to collaborate creating dancepieces under the name dansdesign. Since then they have drawn together a host of dancers and artists from other fields to create innovative dance productions.
During the first 10 years of their collaboration (1978-1988) they danced in their own choreographies with a blend of multi- mediaexpressions, often with the film and photography team Klara Sund and John Alfheim who contributed to dansdesigns presentations with innovative film, diasprojections and videowork.
This work was considered original and fresh and as critic Christopher Bowan wrote;
«Dansdesign steer away from any recognized dance forms», though initially inspired by the work of Merce Cunningham, John Cage and Jasper Johns.
Dans Design was in the early 80' invited to venues like St.Marks Church in the Bowerie in New York, France and Japan and in the 90', Denmark, Finland. In Scotland they appeared at festivals like the New Moves in 1992 and Mayfest in 1993. The same year they performed in UKs Dance Umbrella in Newcastle.
The 1994 Winter Olympics at Lillehammer in Norway was a choreographic challenge for Anne Grete and Leif who were principal choreographers for the opening and closing ceremonies.
After 1994 three different full length choreographies were premièred and toured within Norway as well as a «spectacular ballet» which was created for Trondheims 1000 year anniversary in 1997.
This 90 min. piece was danced to new music composed by Bertil Palmar Johansen and played by the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra. A number of Norway's most prominent dancers performed in «Time Builds the City» which the critics praised as «a piece of dance art in a universal language its special originality, identity and atmosphere communicates across borders.»
A new piece was created in year 2000, commissioned by the Ultima Oslo Contemporary Music Festival.
«Renverser l'espace» was premièred in a beautiful new space created within the framework of an old church in Oslo. Live music was performed by a group of four female composers who call themselves SPUNK.
7 extraordinary dancers as well as three acclaimed artists; filmmaker John Alfheim, and lighting designer David Lawrence from the UK.
Over the years John Alfheim and Klara Sund have presented their innovative film and photowork not only in performances but as independant videodance productions.
In 1985 they created «Easy to Love» after dansdesigns performance in New York,
«Couvade» 1991, «Dance to be murdered by» 1996. All of theese have been presented on Norwegian TV and at international film festivals and venues.
Their last production with dansdesign «Pictures from a performance» was created in 1996.
3 year period supported by the Norwegian Arts Council, 2000-2002
focus choreographic research into aspects like partnerwork, choreographic method and - reception analyzis have resulted in work in theese areas:
-presentations at international venues such as Nothlands Festival, Scotland, Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival.
-commissions
Carte Blanche Dancecompany, Bergen, 30 mins - Ad Quadratum - and Kristiansund Church Arts and Culture Festival full length evening - The Body's Document, both 2002.
-special projects designed for children
2 different acclaimed productions have been made for children.
-videodocumentaries of work made in is produced by Setsuko Watanabe
including; Renverse l'espace, The little Vampire, ThreeMothers.
- A book about Dansdesigns' work was published in January 2001 (dd dansdesign)
can be purchased at Tanum Bookshop, Oslo and Theater Bookshop, Amsterdam.
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