Norway's Winter Guests Closes DanceHouse Season With Poignant Work STORY, STORY, DIE

DanceHouse presents the West Coast premiere of winter guests' evocative work, Story, story, die., choreographed by Artistic Director Alan Lucien Øyen, on stage June 22 and 23, 2022 at 8pm at the Vancouver Playhouse. Through cinematic staging and poignant spoken word, Story, story, die. is a thought-provoking look at the interdependency between lies and love and the surprising things we do in our everyday lives to present a more likeable narrative of ourselves to the world.

"Following the incredible success of Kidd Pivot's Revisor, we are particularly thrilled to welcome Norway's thrilling contemporary dance/theatre company, winter guests, as part of DanceHouse's 2022 season, following an earlier season postponement due to the pandemic," says Jim Smith, Artistic and Executive Director, DanceHouse. "Drawing from real-life experiences, that oscillate between the absolute concrete and totally abstract, Øyen's Story, story, die. is a masterly narrative work with hyper-detailed choreography that both challenges our notion of love and happiness and unites us in our collective search for meaningful connection in an increasingly disconnected world."

Admired for its "sexiness and startlingly original highlights" (Fjord Review), Story, story, die. made its world premiere in Oslo, Norway at Dansens Hus - the country's prestigious national dance stage - in May 2019. The 90-minute work is an in-depth exploration of humanity's relentless search for approval from our peers, complicated through the all-consuming role of social media. A commentary on a fast and fading conditional love, dependent on success and happiness, the work's choreography and spoken word was developed in collaboration with its performers. Story, story, die. incorporates their lived experiences as an authentic expression of our current human condition.

Considered one of Norway's most pioneering artists, Øyen has created more than 40 projects and commissions since 2004. In 2006, Øyen founded winter guests to create a range of interdisciplinary works including plays, contemporary dance works and hybrid performances, mixing dance with text and movement with actors. Inspired by interactions with strangers, personal anecdotes and pop culture references, each work is formed in collaboration with its performers.

Presenting their avant-garde theatre and dance in both independent venues and opera houses, winter guests has toured to more than 20 countries for performances and residencies at such internationally celebrated venues as The Watermill Centre, New York Theatre Workshop, Théâtre National de Chaillot, Banff Centre for the Arts, Shizuoka Performing Arts Center, and the John F. Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts, among others.

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