Alehouse Sessions

No High Culture here mate!

Picture plague-ravaged London in the 17th century. Packed theatre houses offering all-day events filled with music, performance, food and conversation. One of the few places where people from all walks of life could gather in an otherwise rigidly class-divided society. Even women were allowed in!

Then the Puritans came to power, and The Puritans firmly believed that playing the fiddle would lead to moral decay...

Theatres closed, and before long, music was permitted only in the service of God.

But these were difficult times! People needed to dance, swear, laugh and sing. And performers still had to put food on the table. What happened? Well, artists and audiences moved underground, finding refuge in pubs, taverns and brothels. There, they found freedom and impulses from around the world.

Now, nearly 400 years later, early music is labelled “high culture”.

Twenty years ago violinist and artistic director Bjarte Eike and Barokksolistene decided it was time to awaken the true spirit of the scene. Because it’s really just old pop music.

And then came the women of Mamelukk Dance Company.

The collaboration you are about to witness is the result of mutual admiration and inspiration.

ABOUT BAROKKSOLISTENE

This early music ensemble is truly one of a kind. They win awards, land prestigious commissions, receive rave reviews – but above all, they win over audiences wherever they go, earning standing ovations and enthusiastic praise in venues ranging from cult clubs and pubs to castles, cathedrals and some of the world’s most prestigious concert halls.

The ensemble’s members are personally selected by violinist and artistic director Bjarte Eike. They are chosen not only for their exceptional musicianship and expertise in historically informed performance practice, but also for their ability to sing, dance, improvise and tell a story when needed. As one reviewer put it, their approach is “deliciously egalitarian.” Another described them as “an alchemical miracle of an ensemble.”

ABOUT MAMELUKK

Mamelukk Dansekompani is led by choreographer and artistic director Silje Onstad Hålien, and has established itself as a fearless and innovative force in the performing arts. The company creates productions where folk music, traditional dance and contemporary artistic expression intertwine, achieving the remarkable feat of being deeply rooted in tradition, highly relevant to the present day, and groundbreaking all at once.

The company is made up of strong female dancers who actively challenge established gender roles and genre boundaries within dance. Much of their work has focused on halling, a dance form historically dominated by men. Through this work, they have explored the power, expression and form of the dance, using the female body as their point of departure.