Many of us dream of travelling into space and discovering things from a new perspective. What does it really take for the human body to withstand a journey into the universe? Astronaut takes us on a trip to outer space and back again.
Choreographer Carl Olof Berg explains:
“This work focuses on the demanding physical and mental tests that 13 female pilots took part in during the 1960s space race in the United States, which were aimed at identifying who was most physically suited to work as an astronaut. Even though the women outperformed the men in some of the tests, it was still the men who got to go to the moon.”
Astronaut is also inspired by NASA’s plans to put humans back on the moon in a few years, perhaps with Swedish-American Jessica Meir on board. The audience gets to follow the three dancers through challenging tests, vertiginous walks on the moon and the outlandish experience of returning to the Earth’s gravity. We look back in history and ahead at the possibilities of the future and astronauts’ dreams.
Carl Olof Berg has long been creating exciting experiences in classrooms, private homes, changing rooms and on dance stages. The original score is composed by Mariam Wallentin from Wildbirds & Peacedrums, while the costume design is the work of Maja Gunn, professor in design and craft at HDK Valand.
