Nadja Hjorton – CANCER DANCE

CANCER DANCE

A life-affirming dance performance about becoming ill.

Choreographer Nadja Hjorton has created a solo that moves from the deeply intimate to the truly grand. CANCER DANCE is her own story. A full-throttle celebration of life, even when it hurts the most.

When Nadja turned 40, she became a theatre director. And fell ill with breast cancer. The performance takes its starting point in that period: in a body that changes, in fear, in the loss of control and in cells running wild. But also in everything that continued to be part of life: the children, friends, TikTok dances in the living room and unexpected moments of happiness amid the chaos.

CANCER DANCE is neither a tear-jerker nor a heroic saga. It is the performance Nadja herself would have wanted to see when she was ill. A solo that, with absurd humour, physicality and warmth, seeks to make life feel more.

The music is by artist and composer Britta Persson. The costume was created by Daniel Åkerström Steen and the set design by Chrisander Brun, made to depict the body's inner world in a playful and surreal way.

Production: Riksteatern. Photo: Märta Thisner.

[Read more here]

The performance contains spoken parts in Swedish. Printed English translation will be available.

Choreographer Nadja Hjorton has created a solo that moves from the intimately close to the truly grand. CANCER DANCE is her own story. An amplified celebration of life, even when it hurts the most.

When Nadja turned 40, she became a theatre director. And she fell ill with breast cancer. The performance begins in that period. In a body in transformation, in fear, in the loss of control, and in cells running wild. But also in everything that continued to exist in life: her children, friends, TikTok dances in the living room, and unexpected moments of happiness in the midst of chaos.

CANCER DANCE is neither a tear-jerking story nor a heroic saga. It is the performance Nadja herself would have wanted to see when she was ill. A solo that, with absurd humour, physicality, and warmth, seeks to make life feel more vivid.

The music is composed by artist and composer Britta Persson. The costume is designed by Daniel Åkerström Steen, and the set design by Chrisander Brun, created to depict the body’s inner world in a playful and surreal way.