Northern Europe’s largest contemporary dance centre, Dansehallerene, sits in an old Carlsberg mineral water bottling plant. Every year, a huge range of contemporary dance events floods over its wide factory floors and high ceilings.
Next weekend, the Detour Urban Dance Festival will splash down into the city and take over the space. According to the festival’s website, it’s a “celebration of the whole urban dance movement and aims to reach new audiences across cultural differences and strengthen the great choreographic potential in Denmark”.
Packed into four days, there are plenty of original performances to take in, as well as opportunities to learn directly from the professionals.
If you’ve got a keen child, or just need them to burn off some energy, take them to the Børnebreak Workshop, where b-boys Tunde and Mik will introduce all the newest moves, whilst grounding them in the classic moves such as the Baby Freeze.
For two non-stop hours of professional dancers launching their best moves at each other, be sure to stop by the Dance Battle on Sunday. At the end, the power resides in your grasp as the audience votes for the winners of the competition.
Throughout the festival, pictures, short films and a diary from every choreographer will be on display, giving people the chance to see the creative process.
An American graffiti artist, Juse One, will add some vibrancy to the foyer as he decorates the entire lobby with his street art.
There will also be lectures and master-classes for enthusiasts, dancers and choreographers that aim to “demystify hip-hop as some frivolous dance to rap music and also to challenge choreographers to be inspired and to understand and interpret the hip-hop universe in a new way”.
If you’re feeling adventurous, you should try the Parkour Getdown workshop. Led by the group Street Movement, the lesson will introduce you to the basics of parkour for free. It’s open to all ages and there are no special requirements, so you’ll be clambering over the Rådhus in no time.
Every day of the festival, the main Detour show will present the best Danish urban choreographers alongside internationally renowned ones. Expect a range of styles, from krump, junglist, new-school and popping, to contemporary African dance. Performances from dancers and groups like Toniah Pedersen, Tine Salling, Werkaholics and RAF CREW will incorporate multimedia technology and couture costumes to tell their individual stories.
The festival will close on a high with more than mineral water being drunk at the after-party in the Dansehallerne foyer.
Detour Urban Dance Festival
Dansehallerene, Pasteursvej 14, Cph K;
Starts Thu Sep 13, ends Sep 16, evening shows start at variuos times;
Tickets: Adults 130kr, concessions 60kr;
