What happens to our sense of time if we stretch it to meet my body’s needs?
The dance performance trembl suspends time as we know it. The time of the able-bodied is over. The performance depicts the dancing, chronically ill avatar, trembl, and its surrounding world. We allow ourselves to sink into its suspended hibernation, where contradictions are the norm. trembl’s body breaks down and rebuilds itself in new ways. The audience is invited to witness this self-healing ritual and expand their imagination to a world that meets the needs of those living with chronic illness. Through contemporary choreography, sculptural light installation and circulating soundscapes, the performance creates a polyphony of pulsations and possibilities.
tremble has its world premiere as part of KSelekt. It is the second production in the series “the unapparent trilogy”, created by choreographer Ar Utke Ács. The trilogy explores choreographic possibilities from the perspective of living with a chronic illness and seeks to build worlds based on these bodies. The first performance, shivr, premiered in April 2025 and will be restaged during the Toaster Biennale on 2–3 May 2026.
trembl is premiering as a part of KSelekt, a collaboration between The Royal Danish Theatre and Statens Kunstfond produced by Udviklingsplatformen
Co-production: MDT
Residencies: Dance Cooperative, höjden studios and KSelekt, Lille Scene, Skuespilshuset
The project is supported by Statens Kunstfond, Københavns Kommune, Culture Moves Europe. This work was produced with the financial assistance of the European Union. The views expressed herein can in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of the European Union.
Credits:
Choreographer and artistic director: Ar Utke Ács
Close collaborator and artistic research: jœëllâ kálâlã*
Performer: jœëllâ kálâlã
Composer: Mayara Baptista
Light design: Sofia Stål and Will Zawistowski
Costume design: Serena Coelho
Stage design: Sofia Stål
Programmer and light technician: Will Zawistowski
Sound design: Per Buhl Acs and Mayara Baptista
Artistic Facilitation and Caretaking: jœëllâ kálâlã & Mmabatho Thobejane
Outside Eye: Mmabatho Thobejane
Production assistant: Frida Andrea Keita
Production: Dance Cooperative
Administration: Kamma Siegumfeldt
With thanks to: André Taylor, Adam Seid Tahir, Sall Lam Toro and our technical janitor Jørn
Artwork: Artistic Direction by jœëllâ kálâlã and Ville Vidø, CGI by Ville Vidø based on photographies by Adam Sato
About the artistic team
Ar Utke Ács works with contemporary dance and choreography at the intersection of performance and installation, the social and the imaginary. In their work, they seek to construct worlds that offer temporary glimpses into alternative ways of living together. Ács holds a BA in Dance Performance from Stockholm University of the Arts, is a member of Dance Cooperative, and has presented their work in collaboration with Dansehallerne, Moderna Dans Teater (SE), BIT Teatergarasjen (NO) and Baltic Circle (FI), amongst others.
jœëllâ kálâlã is a close collaborator, contributing through artistic research and performance in trembl. their work situates itself in the intersections of bodies, minds, and spirits. the practice centers itself upon understanding the pains and pleasures of embodiment, existence, and nonexistence through the mad, the erotic, and care practices from a queer–feminist decolonial perspective. it works with practices within the practice, processes within the process, bodies within the body, and the body within the bodies – carrying all their dead, all their living with them. listening attentively and patiently to the haunted bodies of the past, present, and future; listening to what they might reveal through text, sound and/or movement.
Mayara Baptista is a Brazilian e.t. actor, performer, and composer based in Berlin. The work moves between sound, body, and performance, with a strong focus on voice as a central expressive tool. In this project, e.t is composer, developing sonic landscapes that engage with the scenic elements and expand the emotional and narrative dimensions of the work. All sounds are created exclusively using voice and effects, exploring the full sonic potential of the body. The practice is influenced by Afro-Brazilian heritage, experimentation with loop station, and the intersection between music and performance.
Will Zawistowski is a freelance lighting designer, and creative technologist based in Copenhagen. They work across a wide range of visual technologies, with a particular focus on light as a medium. In this project, they contribute as both a lighting designer and show technician. You can explore more about their practice and view previous work on their website. https://www.will-visualcrafts.com/
Sofia Staal is a visual artist and world-builder whose practice bridges environmental science, performance, and film. Her work is defined by immersive spaces shaped strongly by light an atmospheric elements. She holds degrees from both the Danish National School of Performing Arts and the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. Her work has been presented at venues such as Tanzhaus NRW, UKS Oslo, Staatstheater Kassel, Staatshteather Münster, Dansehallerne, CPH:DOX and Den Fire Udstillingsbyggning.
Serena Coelho is a Brazilian designer and artist based in Copenhagen, known for her interdisciplinary approach that combines conceptual art/design with artisanal processes. Her practice centers on preserving craftsmanship through a sustainable and technologically informed approach.
Mmabatho Thobejane is trembl’s External Eye and Artistic Caretaker and Facilitator. In this role they draw from their experience as a curator, producer and sangoma. They are a cultural practitioner working across a range of mediums, enamoured by and tracing the possibilities of care and meaning-making.
