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What happens when you plug a tap dancer into a computer?
In Øy, tap dancer Janne Eraker and electronic musician Kristoffer Lislegaard share a single instrument, his computer setup fed by Janne’s steps. Microphones in the floor and beneath Janne's shoes send the sounds of her tap dancing into the electronics, where each step can trigger, shape and transform the sound.
For this Ultima performance, they join forces with Sound Switchers, a group of four young curators and music enthusiasts aged 16 to 19, who bring with them material from the world their generation is growing up with: scrolling through social media, games such as Roblox and Subway Surfers, the news, internet culture and artificial intelligence.
Janne’s rhythms give Kristoffer something to work with, while the electronics can change how the dance is experienced and how it develops. Improvisation is at the heart of their interaction, and none of them knows exactly what is going to happen. The constant stream of impressions the Sounds Switchers encounters every day becomes part of this already unpredictable system.
It requires trust, curiosity and the ability to respond in the moment. But one thing is certain: you will be swept along.
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