#Kroppsbroer

or how our bodies dialogue to create cultural bridges

A project by Moyra Silva, Zuzana Palanova and Celina Gallo (Cohorts 7 and 9)

Our bodies have our (hi)stories inscribed within, singular and universal. We traveled far away carrying in our memories nourished by  the sea, soill of fertile fields, heat of lava and the whisper of the trees, from home.
We move our body cartographies  from head to toes as from south to north, palms to soles feet as east and west. 
Our bodies are now together creating a bridge.
We share our desire to exchange and dialogue with the ones here in presence.

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“Kroppsbroer” was the name of the event that the joint artistic team from Cohort 7 and 9 created last May in Trondheim, Norway, while Cohort 9 students Moyra Silva and Zuzana Palanova were preparing for fieldwork, and Celina Gallo from Cohort 7 was working as research assistant at the Norwegian Center for Traditional Music and Dance. The idea of organizing this event was born as a way to intertwine our dance knowledge and homeland traditions with the place that we called home, creating a bridge to encounter with the community and our surroundings permeated by the power of movement, music and the architecture of the city.  

Kroppsbroer was a site-specific and intercultural experience based on movement dynamics led by Choreomundus students and alumni from Peru, Slovakia, Nicaragua and China. We integrated live music, creating a fusion between rhythms from Latin America and Africa through the collaboration of our colleague Andrew Ssebulime from Uganda and local musician Julio Morales.

Photography and the use of materials like fabric have been important resources to build a collective installation at the end of the event which served as a memoir for the participants. The team received funding from Trondheim’s municipality, creating a precedent for future Choreomundus students to participate in the city's cultural scene. As a result, more than 20 residents of Trondheim with diverse backgrounds and nationalities participated in this free-entry and open-air event without age restriction at the beautiful location of the Old City Bridge, one of the most iconic and particular places in Trondheim, located next to the Nidelva river. 

Our diverse group from France, Brasil, Norway, Germany, Bahrain, Congo and Uganda took part in four different sections, which involved a game, exploration, introspection and socializing. We have received great support from Choreomundus staff and students, as well as from every person that stopped by to observe and participate from a distance. Kroppsbroer now has been established as a permanent collaborative project between Choreomundus students and alumni, integrating Natalia Weir from Australia/Russia and student from Cohort 9 to the team with the objective to pursue new opportunities and keep creating bridges in any geographical place. 

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Kroppsbroer team and collaborators in the picture from left to right:
Moyra Silva (PE), Sverre Veel (NO), Li Li Wen (CN), Andrew Ssebulime (UG), Zuzanna Palanová (SK), Julio Morales (GT), Gerardo de La Riva (CL), Celina Gallo (NI)

Natalia Weir (AU) has collaborated as the main photographer and editor.