Synthesis

June 2024, Scenehuset, Oslo / Oslo Jazzdansfestival

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Synthesis is a choreographic exploration that addresses the complexity of cultural assimilation, focusing on the different paths individuals navigate when integrating into unfamiliar cultural environments. Drawing on contemporary Latin jazz, the duet aims to uncover how an individual's cultural identity can be simplified and transformed. Both “synthesis” and “assimilation” imply a chemical process that results in a transformation. We use “synthesis” as an image of assimilation, reduction, and simplification, while “assimilation” refers to a process of absorption - a bodily process.

Synthesis is performed by two dancers with multicultural backgrounds and cross-genre dance practices. The choreography explores the dynamic interplay between two individuals navigating the assimilation process. The choreography conveys the struggles, harmonies, and dissonances of the assimilation journey, seeking to capture the diverse nature of cultural assimilation as well as the essence of loss and discovery. Synthesis is relevant in today’s world, where increasing cultural diversity and global interconnectedness underscore the universal human experience of adapting to new cultural landscapes. The performance invites the audience to reflect on the fluidity of identity and the challenges of the assimilation process. At the heart of the project is the idea of uniting the unique and the common, creating a choreographic conversation that represents individual experiences and nurtures collective understanding. The project engages in a dialogue with decolonizing practices within the dance world, with the aim of reclaiming space for minority dance in the contemporary dance scene.

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Concept and performers: Valentina Martínez Mariscal and Yorbano Bulgar

Choreography : Yordano Bulgar

Photo: Natalie Dahl / Oslo Jazzdansfestival

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